Bankruptcy and Liquidation Dashboard
Bankruptcies
Graph 1: Quarterly trend in bankruptcies since 2000
What is bankruptcy?
Bankruptcy is a state in which a legal entity, whether a natural or legal person, has ceased to make payments and can no longer obtain credit from banks, suppliers or creditors. The unit may continue to exist after the bankruptcy, whereas it ceases to exist definitively in the event of dissolution or liquidation.
How STATEC calculates the number of bankruptcies
The number of bankruptcies corresponds to the number of decisions declaring bankruptcy (‘opening and reopening’) minus the number of bankruptcies reported (or cancelled).
How is the loss of jobs due to bankruptcy calculated by STATEC?
The calculation method consists of taking into account the highest average annual salaried employment during the two-year period preceding the bankruptcy judgement.
Job losses relate only to salaried employment and not to self-employment. Consequently, managers and owners of companies as well as family carers and other self-employed persons are not taken into account in the calculation of job losses. In addition, it is the number of jobs that is considered rather than the number of people employed.
Graph2: Breakdown of payroll job losses by branch of economic activity (%)
Graph 3: Payroll job losses by year and half-year
Graph 4: Number of bankruptcies by employee size class in 2024
Graph 5: Number of bankruptcies by legal form in 2024
Liquidation
What is a liquidation?
The liquidation of a legal entity, whether a natural or legal person, may be voluntary or judicial. After liquidation, the unit ceases to exist for good.
How is the number of liquidations calculated by STATEC?
The number of liquidations corresponds to the number of liquidations ordered (including ‘reopenings’) minus the number of reported liquidations. Since the calculation is carried out at the level of the legal unit, taking into account the dates of the judgments, the number of liquidations cannot be recalculated from the table on judicial decisions attached.
Graph 6: Number of liquidations per month since January 2018 - situation at 28 October 2024
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