The number of bankruptcies in Canada rose by 17.2% in July compared with a year earlier.

The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcies said Friday there were 7,908 bankruptcies in July, up from 7,478 in June and 6,747 in July 2007.

The pain was concentrated among individuals, as personal bankruptcies were 6.3% higher than in June and 19% higher than in July of last year.

Business bankruptcies were down 1.9% from June and 6.4% below the level of July 2007.

The 7,452 personal bankruptcies and 456 business bankruptcies in July brought the 12-month total to 89,346.

Last year at this time, 85,939 bankruptcies had been declared over the previous 12 months.