UK Sector Insolvency League
Which UK sectors have the most company insolvencies?
Every SIC section ranked by trailing 12-month company insolvencies, England and Wales, from Insolvency Service open data. Updated Jun 2026.
Key findings
- Construction recorded 3,805 company insolvencies in the 12 months to Jun 2026, 16.4% of every insolvency across all 21 SIC sections.
- The five highest-volume sectors are Construction, Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, Accommodation and food service activities, Administrative and support service activities, Professional, scientific and technical activities, together accounting for 63.2% of all company insolvencies.
- 23,151 companies entered insolvency across all sectors combined in the trailing 12 months, with a further 429 unclassified filings excluded from the ranked league.
Source: The Insolvency Service, Company Insolvency Statistics, Industry Tables (Open Government Licence v3.0). England and Wales. Figures may be cited with attribution to Holloway Davies.
The full sector league table
Every SIC section ranked by trailing 12-month company insolvencies. Larger sectors naturally register more insolvencies in absolute terms, so this ranking reflects volume, not necessarily risk per company.
Sector-by-sector detail
| Sector | TTM insolvencies | Share | Change since 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 3,805 | 16.4% | 54.4% |
| Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles | 3,463 | 15.0% | 82.6% |
| Accommodation and food service activities | 3,233 | 14.0% | 119.7% |
| Administrative and support service activities | 2,196 | 9.5% | 43.2% |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 1,930 | 8.3% | 66.6% |
| Manufacturing | 1,857 | 8.0% | 44.2% |
| Information and communication | 1,393 | 6.0% | 65.3% |
| Real estate activities | 975 | 4.2% | 103.4% |
| Other service activities | 965 | 4.2% | 91.8% |
| Transportation and storage | 704 | 3.0% | 117.3% |
| Human health and social work activities | 642 | 2.8% | 103.0% |
| Financial and insurance activities | 494 | 2.1% | 73.2% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 469 | 2.0% | 112.8% |
| Education | 248 | 1.1% | 46.5% |
| Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation | 144 | 0.6% | 10.7% |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 82 | 0.4% | 97.8% |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 58 | 0.3% | 23.4% |
| Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | 28 | 0.1% | 150.0% |
| Mining and quarrying | 25 | 0.1% | -50.0% |
| Activities of households as employers | 8 | 0.0% | 125.0% |
| Activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies | 3 | 0.0% | -25.0% |
Methodology and sources
Data source. The Insolvency Service's Company Insolvency Statistics, Industry Tables (Table A1a), which breaks down monthly and annual company insolvencies by SIC 2007 one-digit section (21 sections, A to U) plus an unclassified residual.
What is counted. Trailing-12-month (TTM) totals are the sum of the most recent 12 published monthly figures for each section. Counts are gross registered insolvency events, not unique companies and not rates against sector size.
Coverage. England and Wales only. Scotland and Northern Ireland insolvencies are published separately by the Insolvency Service and are not included.
- Company Insolvency Statistics -- Industry Tables (Table A1a) (The Insolvency Service)
Download the sector league data (CSV) · See the full State of UK Small Business Barometer
Free to cite and republish with attribution to Holloway Davies. This page is a data summary and does not constitute financial or business advice.
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Frequently asked questions
Which UK sector has the most company insolvencies?
Construction has had the most company insolvencies of any sector in the 12 months to Jun 2026, with 3,805 insolvencies, 16.4% of every company insolvency across England and Wales in that period.
Does a high insolvency count mean a sector is riskier?
Not necessarily on its own. These are raw counts of registered insolvency events, not rates against the number of active companies in each sector. A large sector (by company count) will naturally register more insolvencies in absolute terms even if its per-company failure rate is average. The league table is best read alongside sector size when judging relative risk.
What counts as a company insolvency here?
Any of the standard UK corporate insolvency procedures: Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation, Compulsory Liquidation, Administration, Company Voluntary Arrangement, Administrative Receivership, or Moratorium, as registered with Companies House or the Insolvency Service. Each is counted once, in the month it was registered.
Why is there an 'unclassified' category?
A residual category of companies without a captured SIC code at the time of filing exists in the underlying data (429 in the trailing 12 months). It is shown for completeness but excluded from the ranked sector league, since it is not a real industry.
Does this cover Scotland and Northern Ireland?
No. The Insolvency Service publishes this industry breakdown for England and Wales only. Scotland and Northern Ireland insolvency statistics are published separately by their own authorities and are not included in this league table.