The number of companies declared bankrupt in the Netherlands fell by 11 per cent in July compared with the same month last year, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). In total, 266 companies went bankrupt last month, 33 fewer than in July a year earlier.
The bankruptcy rate, which measures the number of bankruptcies per 100,000 companies, stood at 7.1 in July. A year earlier, the rate was 8.1.
CBS has calculated the bankruptcy rate since 2015. It peaked at 24.8 in March 2015 and fell to a record low of 3.4 in August 2021. The rate then increased until 2024 before stabilising through the autumn of that year. Since then, the trend has shown a slight decline.
Industrial companies recorded the highest bankruptcy rate in July, followed by transport and hospitality businesses. The construction sector also saw a relatively high number of bankruptcies.
The largest change was in the hospitality sector. In July last year, 35.1 hospitality businesses per 100,000 companies were declared bankrupt. By July this year, that figure had fallen to 17.9, although it remains relatively high.
The culture, sports and recreation sector recorded the lowest bankruptcy rate in relative terms.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
