Number of bankruptcies slightly down in December

In December 2009, 540 businesses and institutions (excluding one-man businesses) in the Netherlands went bankrupt. The number of bankruptcies was reduced by more than 40 relative to November.

As the number of businesses declared bankrupt in a particular month is closely related to the number of days the courts are in session, it may vary considerably from month to month. Therefore, the three-monthly moving average is a more reliable indicator.

In December, the three-monthly moving average was 550, i.e. a decrease by 30 compared to November. The three-monthly moving average hovered around 600 in the period April-September and subsequently dropped marginally.

Over the year 2009, the number of bankruptcies of businesses and institutions (excluding one-man businesses) amounted to nearly 7 thousand. This is an increase by over 3 thousand on 2008. The number of bankruptcies was by far the largest since the beginning of the time series in 1981.The previous record was reached in 2004, when more than 5 thousand bankruptcies were registered.

Bankruptcies of businesses and institutions (excluding one-man businesses)