Bankruptcies up by 27 percent in October, year on year

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Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports that 322 businesses were declared bankrupt in October 2026. That was 69 more bankruptcies than in October last year, and 1 more than in September 2026. The bankruptcy rate was higher than the previous year, with 8.5 bankruptcies per 100 thousand businesses in October 2026.

Bankruptcy rate higher than last year

The bankruptcy rate in October was 8.5. This compares to 6.8 bankruptcies per 100 thousand businesses in October 2025.
Since the start of the series in 2015, the bankruptcy rate peaked at 24.8 in March 2015. After that, there was a steady decline to a record low of 3.4 in August 2021. The number of bankruptcies per 100 thousand businesses then rose again until 2024. The bankruptcy rate then stabilised and fell again slightly in 2025. From mid-2025 onwards, it remained around 7 and 8.

Change in bankruptcy rate most pronounced in the manufacturing sector

In October, the highest number of bankruptcies relatively to the number of businesses was recorded in the accommodation and food services sector. There were 25.1 bankruptcies per 100 thousand businesses in this sector in October 2026, compared with 23.3 in October 2025.

However, the bankruptcy rate in the manufacturing sector saw the most significant change. The bankruptcy rate in this sector rose from 19.5 last year to 24.8 in October 2026.
The figures by sector have not been adjusted for court session days.

Sources

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