Bankruptcies down by 18 percent in December year on year

These are the most recent figures on this topic. View the previous figures here.
© Hollandse Hoogte / Peter Hilz
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports that, adjusted for court session days, 265 businesses (including sole proprietorships) were declared bankrupt in December. That was 60 fewer than in the same month in 2024, a decrease of 18 percent. The number of bankruptcies fell by 14 percent in December, relative to November. Now that the December figure is known, the provisional total for the whole year can be calculated: 3,636 businesses and institutions were declared bankrupt in 2025, 15 percent less than in 2024.

This news release on bankruptcies focuses 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. This is because the number of businesses can fluctuate over time and differ greatly between sectors.

Bankruptcy rate down

The bankruptcy rate, the number of bankruptcies per 100 thousand businesses, was 7.1 in December 2025. A year earlier, the rate was 8.9. The average bankruptcy rate for 2025 as a whole was 8.2, compared to 9.8 in 2024.

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. The bankruptcy rate then stabilised until the autumn of 2024. Since then, the trend has been slightly downward.

Most bankruptcies recorded in the accommodation and food services sector

If the number of court session days is not taken into account, most bankruptcies in December were declared in the accommodation and food services sector. The bankruptcy rate in this sector was 29.5, up from 27.5 in December 2024.

3,636 businesses were declared bankrupt in 2025

Over 2025 as a whole, a total of 3,636 businesses and institutions (including sole proprietorships) were declared bankrupt, if the number of court session days is not taken into account. This was 15 percent less than in 2024, when the number was 4,270. The peak of 9,431 bankruptcies was reached in 2013 during the euro crisis. In 2021, bankruptcies reached their lowest level (1,818) since the start of the survey in 1981.

Sharpest decrease recorded in specialised business services and construction

Just as in the previous years, most bankruptcies in 2025 occurred in the trade sector (706). This was followed by the construction sector and the specialised business services sector, with 488 and 378 bankruptcies respectively. These sectors are also the largest in terms of number of businesses. In most sectors, fewer businesses went bankrupt than in 2024.

In absolute terms, the specialised business services sector recorded the sharpest year-on-year decrease: a fall of 131. Particularly in management consultancy, advertising and market research activities, the number of bankruptcies was lower than a year earlier. With a decrease of 130 bankruptcies, construction came in second. The decrease is mainly attributable to construction of residential and non-residential buildings and specialised construction (including construction installation and finishing companies).

Sources

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