Bankruptcies down by 19 percent in May, year on year

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports that, adjusted for court session days, 287 businesses (including sole proprietorships) were declared bankrupt in May 2026. That was 66 fewer than in the same month in 2025, a decrease of 19 percent. The number of bankruptcies fell by 1 percent in May, relative to April.

Bankruptcy rate down

The bankruptcy rate, the number of bankruptcies per 100 thousand businesses, was 7.7 in May 2026. In May 2025, it stood at 9.6.

Since the start of the series in 2015, the bankruptcy rate peaked at 24.8 in March 2015. After that, it declined steadily until it reached a record low of 3.4 in August 2021. After that, the number of bankruptcies per 100 thousand businesses increased until it stabilised in the autumn of 2024. Since then, the trend has been slightly downward.

The bankruptcy rate provides a clearer picture of the change in the number of bankruptcies in the Netherlands over a given period than the raw total. It also allows for better comparison between sectors. This is because the number of businesses can fluctuate over time and vary significantly between sectors.

Most bankruptcies recorded in the transportation and storage sector

If the number of court session days is not taken into account, most bankruptcies in May were declared in the transportation and storage sector. The bankruptcy rate in this sector was 22.6, down from 25.3 in May 2025.