Almost 5,000 partnerships and joint-stock companies went bankrupt in Germany from April to the end of June 2026, the highest figure in the second quarter in 21 years, according to data from the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research in Halle (IWH).
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“In the second quarter of 2026, 4,996 bankruptcies were registered in Germany among partnerships and joint-stock companies – 9% more than in the first quarter. This is the highest figure in the second quarter since 2005, when 5,295 bankruptcies were registered,” the report says.
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It also follows from the publication that bankruptcies have affected firms in almost all major industries, including construction, retail and hospitality, on a record scale. It is noted that in June 2026, the number of bankruptcies reached 1,702, which is 20% more than in June 2025 and 80% more than the average for this month from 2016 to 2019, that is, before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
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“The situation is difficult: bankruptcies affect the economy on many fronts. Many industries and regions are suffering. In the third quarter (July – end of September), we should expect a further increase in the number of bankruptcies compared to the previous year,” Steffen Muller, head of the Bankruptcy Research Department at the Institute, said.
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It is noteworthy that this year’s first-quarter figure was also a record high for the period from January to the end of March for 21 years.
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Earlier, Volker Trayer, chief analyst at the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that every 20 minutes in 2025, one German company declared bankruptcy. As reported by the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the increase in the number of bankruptcies has not stopped for several years: in 2024, the indicator increased by 22.4% compared to 2023, and in 2023, this figure increased by 22.1% compared to 2022.
