In April 2025, 982 bankruptcies were registered by the business courts. This is a 6.9% decrease compared to March 2025 (1,055).
Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, also publishes a detailed report with the major developments of the monthly figures on bankruptcies. This report is available here (NL - FR).
The number of bankruptcies registered in April 2025 is higher than in the same month in 2024 (+6.2%) and in 2023 (+20.2%). This is the highest value in April in Belgium since 2013 (1,028).
At regional level, the number of bankruptcies increased compared to March 2025 in the Brussels-Capital Region (+9.7%) and in the Walloon Region (+0.8%). This number has also increased in the Flemish Region and in the Brussels-Capital Region compared to both April 2024 and April 2023. This is actually the highest value in April in the Flemish Region since the previous record in 2013 (537 versus 511), while we have to go back to April 2019 to see a higher number of bankruptcies in that month in the Brussels-Capital Region (250 versus 181).
Since the beginning of this year, the business courts pronounced 2,286 bankruptcies in the Flemish Region. This value exceeds the previous record registered in 2024 (2,224) by 2.8%.
Furthermore, the number of bankruptcies registered in April 2025 has increased in three economic sectors compared to March 2025. Two of these economic sectors also registered a higher number than in April 2024 and April 2023:
- professional, scientific and technical activities with 81 bankruptcies, where we have to go back to 2019 to see a higher number during that month (87);
- information and communication where 31 bankruptcies were registered, or the highest number in April since 2013 (37).
After four months in 2025, the number of bankruptcies registered in Belgium is a record in three economic sectors:
- construction with 949 bankruptcies, or 9.5% more than in 2024 (867), the previous record;
- transportation and storage where 264 bankruptcies were registered, which is a 5.2% increase compared to the previous record in 2024 (251);
- professional, scientific and technical activities with 315 bankruptcies, or 4.3% more than in 2019 (302).
As regards the number of job losses registered in April 2025, it amounts to 3,155, i.e. an increase of 14.9% compared to March 2025 (2,745). However, this is a decrease of 34.5% compared to April 2024, but an increase of 43.3% compared to April 2023.
The number of job losses registered in April 2025 increased compared to March 2025 in the Walloon Region (+251.1%) and in the Brussels-Capital Region (+26.0%). In these two regions, this number also increased compared to April 2024 and April 2023. We have to back to 2019 to find a higher number of job losses in April in the Brussels-Capital Region (556 versus 495), while the 1,566 job losses registered in the Walloon Region, mainly due to the bankruptcy of two enterprises in the metalworking and air transport sectors, exceed by 28.3% the previous record set in March 2015 in this region (1,221).
After four months in 2025, 2,240 jobs were lost in the Brussels-Capital Region. This number exceeds by 4.4% the previous record set in 2013 (2,146).
Furthermore, the number of job losses registered in April 2025 increased in five economic sectors compared to March 2025. Four of these economic sectors also registered a higher number than in both April 2024 and April 2023:
- transportation and storage with 491 job losses, or the highest number in that month since the previous record in 2023 (302);
- accommodation and food service activities, where 488 job losses were registered, or the highest number in April since the previous record in 2019 (447);
- professional, scientific and technical activities with 152 job losses, where we have to go back to 2022 to see a higher number during that month (182);
- information and communication with 101 job losses, or the highest number in that month since 2014 (167).
Finally, since the beginning of this year, the number of job losses amounts to 2,396 in accommodation and food service activities and to 1,198 in transportation and storage. These latter values exceed by 35.5% and 38.3% respectively the previous records set in 2016 for accommodation and food service activities (1,768) and in 2023 for transportation and storage (866).
In addition to this press release and the supplementary report (NL - FR) where the period analysed covers 2013 to 2025, Statbel also publishes more detailed monthly figures which can be broken down by municipality, by NACEBEL 2008 class or even dated back to the year 2000 for bankruptcies and to 2005 for job losses. These figures are available on be.STAT via the tab ‘Figures’ of this publication.
When interpreting the figures, account should be taken of the fact that there is a certain delay between the termination of the economic activity and the notification of bankruptcy by the business court. As a result, the economic impact is only reflected in the figures after a certain period of time.