Company insolvencies in Australia, by industry
These are companies that entered external administration, or had a controller appointed, for the first time. The figures come from ASIC's insolvency statistics. Administrators' reports add what they say caused each failure.
14,153 companies entered external administration in 2025-26, down 3.9% on 2024-25.
2026-27 so far, to 4 Oct 2026: 4,338 companies. ASIC's latest months are provisional.
ASIC's statistics are not exhaustive. They are based on the information available to ASIC at the time of publication.
- Construction: 3,472
- Accommodation and food services: 2,078
- Other services: 1,384
- Retail trade: 1,006
- Professional, scientific and technical services: 993
- Transport, postal and warehousing: 813
- Administrative and support services: 745
- Manufacturing: 667
- Rental, hiring and real estate: 527
- Health care and social assistance: 464
- Financial and insurance services: 433
- Arts and recreation: 281
- Technology, software, media and telecommunications: 263
- Wholesale trade: 250
- Mining: 193
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing: 184
- Electricity, gas, water and waste: 159
- Education and training: 141
- Public administration and safety: 64
Source: ASIC, Australian insolvency statistics, Series 1, retrieved 26 Oct 2026. Grouped by industry and summarised by onestepright. No company is named. Series 1 to 4 Oct 2026, released 19 Oct 2026. Series 3.1 to 2024-25. Both change as ASIC publishes.
- 2021-22: 4,912
- 2022-23: 7,942
- 2023-24: 11,053
- 2024-25: 14,722
- 2025-26: 14,153
Source: ASIC, Australian insolvency statistics, Series 1, retrieved 26 Oct 2026. Grouped by industry and summarised by onestepright. No company is named. Series 1 to 4 Oct 2026, released 19 Oct 2026. Series 3.1 to 2024-25. Both change as ASIC publishes.
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 1999: 4,314
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2000: 4,922
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2001: 6,634
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2002: 6,208
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2003: 6,661
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2004: 6,618
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2005: 7,277
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2006: 7,737
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2007: 7,521
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2008: 9,113
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2009: 9,437
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2010: 9,601
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2011: 10,481
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2012: 10,632
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2013: 10,821
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2014: 8,794
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2015: 10,164
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2016: 8,505
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2017: 7,811
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2018: 8,044
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2019: 8,324
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2020: 4,943
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2021: 4,511
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2022: 6,446
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2023: 9,227
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2024: 13,451
- Running total for the past 12 months, December 2025: 14,649
- Running total for the past 12 months, September 2026: 14,840
Insolvencies tend to follow the economy with a delay. They also move with how hard creditors chase debts. The Tax Office eased its debt recovery in the COVID years and stepped it up again from 2022.
ASIC's latest months are provisional.
Months to June 2021 come from ASIC's release of 8 Sept 2022, and later months from its release of 19 Oct 2026. Where they overlap, the later figure is used.
Source: ASIC, Australian insolvency statistics, Series 1, monthly, retrieved 26 Oct 2026. Grouped by industry and summarised by onestepright. No company is named.
ASIC's statistics are not exhaustive. They are based on the information available to ASIC at the time of publication.
| Industry | Companies | Share of the year (%) | Change on 2024-25 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 3,472 | 24.5 | -3.4 |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,078 | 14.7 | -16.1 |
| Other services | 1,384 | 9.8 | -8.1 |
| Retail trade | 1,006 | 7.1 | 15.5 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 993 | 7.0 | -1.7 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 813 | 5.7 | 10.8 |
| Administrative and support services | 745 | 5.3 | -6.8 |
| Manufacturing | 667 | 4.7 | 4.9 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate | 527 | 3.7 | -7.1 |
| Health care and social assistance | 464 | 3.3 | -3.5 |
| Financial and insurance services | 433 | 3.1 | -1.1 |
| Arts and recreation | 281 | 2.0 | 7.3 |
| Technology, software, media and telecommunications | 263 | 1.9 | -20.8 |
| Wholesale trade | 250 | 1.8 | -4.6 |
| Mining | 193 | 1.4 | 34.0 |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 184 | 1.3 | 5.7 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste | 159 | 1.1 | -7.0 |
| Education and training | 141 | 1.0 | -14.0 |
| Public administration and safety | 64 | 0.5 | -8.6 |
| Industry not known | 36 | 0.3 | 24.1 |
| All industries | 14,153 | 100.0 | -3.9 |
Industries are ASIC's, mapped to ANZSIC divisions.
Source: ASIC, Australian insolvency statistics, Series 1, retrieved 26 Oct 2026. Grouped by industry and summarised by onestepright. No company is named. Series 1 to 4 Oct 2026, released 19 Oct 2026. Series 3.1 to 2024-25. Both change as ASIC publishes.
Which industries the failed companies came from
| Industry | 2013-14 (%) | 2014-15 (%) | 2015-16 (%) | 2016-17 (%) | 2017-18 (%) | 2018-19 (%) | 2019-20 (%) | 2020-21 (%) | 2021-22 (%) | 2022-23 (%) | 2023-24 (%) | 2024-25 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | 21.8 | 22.6 | 28.3 | 27.5 | 24.6 |
| Accommodation and food services | 9.7 | 10.4 | 9.8 | 11.4 | 14.0 | 15.5 | 15.8 | 14.2 | 16.2 | 15.3 | 15.4 | 16.6 |
| Other services | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | 25.9 | 17.4 | 10.9 | 10.5 | 11.0 |
| Retail trade | 9.2 | 8.8 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 7.0 |
| Administrative and support services | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 6.3 | 6.1 | 6.3 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
| Manufacturing | 4.9 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| Financial and insurance services | 2.5 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.8 |
| Health care and social assistance | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 2.8 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | Not trended across 2019-20 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate | 2.9 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| Technology, software, media and telecommunications | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.3 |
| Arts and recreation | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 2.1 |
| Wholesale trade | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.8 |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Mining | 1.1 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| Education and training | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| Public administration and safety | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 |
ASIC changed its report form in 2019-20, and four industries were grouped differently before it. Their lines start in 2020-21.
Source: ASIC, Australian insolvency statistics, Series 3.1, retrieved 26 Oct 2026. Grouped by industry and summarised by onestepright. No company is named. Series 1 to 4 Oct 2026, released 19 Oct 2026. Series 3.1 to 2024-25. Both change as ASIC publishes.
Why companies fail, as administrators see it
In 2024-25, administrators named inadequate cash flow or high cash use in 56.8% of their reports, and poor economic conditions in 25.5%.
In every industry with enough reports, administrators named the economy less often than cash flow.
- Inadequate cash flow or high cash use: 56.8%
- Poor strategic management of business: 50.3%
- Trading losses: 49.8%
- Other: 39.7%
- Poor financial control including lack of records: 36.2%
- Under capitalisation: 29.8%
- Poor economic conditions: 25.5%
- Poor management of accounts receivable: 12.6%
- Dispute among directors: 2.5%
- Fraud: 2.0%
- Natural disaster: 1.5%
- Business restructuring: 1.1%
- Industry restructuring: 0.9%
- DOCA failed: 0.4%
Source: ASIC, Australian insolvency statistics, Series 3.1, retrieved 26 Oct 2026. Grouped by industry and summarised by onestepright. No company is named. Series 1 to 4 Oct 2026, released 19 Oct 2026. Series 3.1 to 2024-25. Both change as ASIC publishes.
| Cause | 2013-14 (%) | 2024-25 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Inadequate cash flow or high cash use | 42.6 | 56.8 |
| Poor strategic management of business | 42.0 | 50.3 |
| Trading losses | 32.5 | 49.8 |
| Other | 28.8 | 39.7 |
| Poor financial control including lack of records | 30.7 | 36.2 |
| Under capitalisation | 18.4 | 29.8 |
| Poor economic conditions | 24.4 | 25.5 |
| Poor management of accounts receivable | 10.8 | 12.6 |
| Dispute among directors | 2.9 | 2.5 |
| Fraud | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| Natural disaster | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Business restructuring | Not published | 1.1 |
| Industry restructuring | 2.3 | 0.9 |
| DOCA failed | 0.6 | 0.4 |
Source: ASIC, Australian insolvency statistics, Series 3.1, retrieved 26 Oct 2026. Grouped by industry and summarised by onestepright. No company is named. Series 1 to 4 Oct 2026, released 19 Oct 2026. Series 3.1 to 2024-25. Both change as ASIC publishes.
How big the failed companies were
In 2024-25, 63.7% of administrators' reports were for companies in ASIC's smallest band, Less than 5 FTE.
- Less than 5 FTE: 63.7%
- Between 5 and 19 FTE: 13.2%
- Between 20 and 199 FTE: 4.0%
- 200 or more FTE: 0.1%
- Not known: 19.0%
Source: ASIC, Australian insolvency statistics, Series 3.1, retrieved 26 Oct 2026. Grouped by industry and summarised by onestepright. No company is named. Series 1 to 4 Oct 2026, released 19 Oct 2026. Series 3.1 to 2024-25. Both change as ASIC publishes.
| Full-time staff | 2013-14 (%) | 2024-25 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 5 FTE | 66.6 | 63.7 |
| Between 5 and 19 FTE | 14.0 | 13.2 |
| Between 20 and 199 FTE | 5.1 | 4.0 |
| 200 or more FTE | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Not known | 14.0 | 19.0 |
Source: ASIC, Australian insolvency statistics, Series 3.1, retrieved 26 Oct 2026. Grouped by industry and summarised by onestepright. No company is named. Series 1 to 4 Oct 2026, released 19 Oct 2026. Series 3.1 to 2024-25. Both change as ASIC publishes.
- Companies entering external administration are those that went into administration, liquidation or receivership, or had a controller appointed, for the first time in the year.
- An administrator lodges an initial report with ASIC for most of these companies, though not all. The report names the causes the administrator saw.
- The page gives counts, not rates. ASIC counts companies, and the ABS counts every business, sole traders included, so one cannot be divided by the other.
Exits are every business that stopped trading, for any reason, a sale included. The business exits page counts those, from ABS data.
ASIC does not operate, sponsor or endorse this site, and did not write this page. The grouping and the summaries are onestepright's.
Read ASIC's insolvency statistics (opens in a new window) in full.
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