Insolvencies: Number of company bankruptcies continues to rise
In August, more companies filed for insolvency than in the same month of the previous year. Small firms seem to be particularly affected. However, the number of newly founded companies is rising.
In August 2026, the number of company insolvencies in Germany rose to 2,067, a 4.4% increase from August 2025, according to the Federal Statistical Office. This is the highest number in 13 years, said DIHK business expert Marc Evers, who expects around 26,000 insolvencies for the whole of 2026, the highest annual total since 2012.
The DIHK attributes the rise to high cost pressures, and calls for economic policy measures to support businesses, including lower labour and energy costs and reduced bureaucracy. From January to August, 17,252 insolvencies were recorded, 6.6% more than in the same period last year. Meanwhile, the number of new business registrations in Germany has increased, with 525,100 new businesses set up in the first three quarters, 7.7% more than a year earlier.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
