In May 2025, 885 bankruptcies were registered by the business courts. This is a 10.2% decrease compared to April 2025 (985).
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 May 2025 is higher than in the same month in 2024 (+5.1%) and in 2023 (+2.4%). This is the highest value in May in Belgium since 2022 (943).
At regional level, the number of bankruptcies has increased compared to April 2025 in the Flemish Region only (+4.5%). This number has also increased compared to May 2024 and May 2023 in both the Flemish Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. This is the highest value in May in the Flemish Region since the previous record in 2024 (563 versus 538), while we have to go back to 2022 to see a higher number of bankruptcies in that month in the Brussels-Capital Region (218 versus 159).
Since the beginning of this year, the business courts pronounced 2,853 bankruptcies in the Flemish Region. This value exceeds the previous record registered in 2024 (2,762) by 3.3%.
In addition, the number of bankruptcies registered in May 2025 has increased compared to April 2025 in construction (241 versus 208) and in information and communication (34 versus 32). Four economic sectors also registered a higher number than in May 2024 and May 2023:
- construction, where 241 bankruptcies were registered, or the highest number in May since the previous record in 2024 (227);
- transportation and storage with 68 bankruptcies, or the highest number in that sector for May, since the previous record in May amounted to 62 bankruptcies in 2023;
- manufacturing, energy with 42 bankruptcies, where we have to go back to 2019 to see a higher number during that month (49);
- information and communication, where 34 bankruptcies were registered, or the highest number in May since the previous record in 2014 (33).
After five months in 2025, the number of bankruptcies registered in Belgium is a record in two economic sectors:
- construction with 1,192 bankruptcies, or 9.0% more than in 2024 (1,094), the previous record;
- transportation and storage where 333 bankruptcies were registered, which is a 10.3% increase compared to the previous record in 2024 (302).
As regards the number of job losses registered in May 2025, it amounts to 1,752, or a decrease of 44.6% compared to April 2025 (3,162). This is also a decrease of 12.3% compared to May 2024, but an increase of 2.2% compared to May 2023.
The number of job losses registered in May 2025 is lower than in April 2025 in each region. However, it has increased in the Walloon Region and in the Brussels-Capital Region compared to both May 2024 and May 2023. This is the highest value in May in the Walloon Region since 2019 (736 versus 468), while we have to go back to 2022 to see a higher number of job losses in that month in the Brussels-Capital Region (400 versus 325).
Moreover, the number of job losses registered in May 2025 has only increased compared to April 2025 in other service activities, from 219 to 259 (+40). Two economic sectors also registered a higher number than in May 2024 and May 2023:
- transportation and storage with 215 job losses, or the highest number in that month since 2016 (223);
- information and communication where 70 job losses were registered, or the highest number in May since 2017 (70).
Finally, since the beginning of this year, the number of job losses amounts to 2,702 in accommodation and food service activities and to 1,414 in transportation and storage. These latter values exceed by 16.2% and 36.4% respectively the previous records set in 2016 for accommodation and food service activities (2,325) and in 2023 for transportation and storage (1,037).
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.