935 bankruptcies and 527 liquidations in 2023

Bankruptcies

In 2023, 935 bankruptcies were declared, a drop of 7% compared to 2022 (1006 bankruptcies). However, this apparently positive trend needs to be nuanced, as the drop in bankruptcies comes from those companies without salaried employment (-14%) and from holding companies and investment funds (-26%). Compared to 2022, the number of bankruptcies of companies with employees (>0) is up by almost 11%, and the number of bankruptcies of businesses with more than 10 employees at the time of their bankruptcy has even exploded (+39%).

There were contrasting trends in the different industries in 2023. An increase in the number of bankruptcies can be noticed in real estate (+41%), construction (+36%) and specialised, scientific and technical services (+21%). Elsewhere, the number of bankruptcies is falling: -8% for trade,
-9% for hotels & restaurants, and even more for other industries that are already structurally less affected by bankruptcies.

The 2713 salaried job losses caused by bankruptcies in 2023 are a sharp increase compared to 2022 (+39%), even if the figures are still provisional, since the data on salaried employment are not complete for the last quarter of 2023. The industries most affected by the loss of salaried jobs in 2023 are construction, hotels & restaurants and trade (43%, 15% and 12% in total losses respectively).

In terms of absolute numbers, holding companies and investment funds (193), trade (178) and construction companies (162) have been declared bankrupt the most in 2023.