In May, 2 percent more bankruptcies than a year ago

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Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports that, adjusted for court days, 352 businesses (including sole proprietorships) were declared bankrupt in May. That is eight more bankruptcies than in the same period a year earlier, or an increase of 2 percent. The number of bankruptcies rose by 6 percent in May relative to April.

Since March 2025, the focus of the news release on bankruptcies has been on the change compared to the previous year and on the bankruptcy rate. This is the number of declared bankruptcies per 100 thousand businesses. The bankruptcy rate provides a clearer picture of the change in the number of bankruptcies in the Netherlands. It also allows for better comparison between sectors. The number of businesses can fluctuate over time and differ greatly between sectors.

Bankruptcy rate virtually unchanged

The bankruptcy rate, the number of bankruptcies per 100 thousand businesses, was 9.6 in May 2025. In May 2024, 9.5 per 100 thousand businesses were declared bankrupt.

Since the start of the series in 2015, the bankruptcy rate peaked at 24.8 in March 2015. After that, a decline started and a record low of 3.4 was reached in August 2021. The number of bankruptcies per 100 thousand businesses increased again until 2024. Since then, the bankruptcy rate has stabilised at a relatively low level.

Most bankruptcies recorded in the accommodation and food services sector

In relative terms, the most bankruptcies in May were declared in the accommodation and food services sector, not adjusted for court days. For every 100 thousand businesses in this sector, around 34 went bankrupt. One year earlier, the number was around 26.

Sources

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