Western Europe Bankruptcies Hit Record High

Western Europe recorded the highest number of corporate bankruptcies in 2025 since records began in 2002, according to Creditreform data cited by Welt. Weak global trade and rising geopolitical tensions contributed to a sharp increase in insolvencies across several countries.

A total of 197,610 companies went bankrupt in 14 European Union countries, as well as Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. That was an increase of 4.8% from the previous year.

The sharpest rise in bankruptcies was recorded in Switzerland, where insolvencies increased by 35.3%. It was followed by Greece, with a rise of 24.4%, Finland with 12.1% and Germany, where the number of bankrupt companies grew by 8.8%.

By contrast, insolvencies fell in the Netherlands, Ireland and Norway. The Netherlands recorded a year-on-year decline of 14.7%, Ireland 7.2% and Norway 5.2%.

Austria ranked around the middle of the European table, with an increase of 4.3%. The country recorded 6,982 corporate bankruptcies last year.

The data points to continued pressure on European businesses, which are struggling with high costs, weak demand and uncertainty in global markets.

(Welt, bak)