The number of requested corporate insolvency applications in Germany has significantly increased in January 2025, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) released on Friday. The figure rose by 14.1 percent compared to the same month the previous year.
Except for June 2024, which saw a 6.3 percent increase, the growth rates in the year-over-year comparison have been in the two-digit range since June 2023. It is essential to note that the applications only enter the statistics after the first decision by the insolvency court and the actual date of the insolvency application often lies approximately three months prior.
In November 2024, the courts reported a total of 1,787 corporate insolvency applications, a 18.1 percent increase from the same month in 2023. The creditors’ claims from the reported corporate insolvencies, as estimated by the courts, amounted to around 2.8 billion euros, up from approximately 1.5 billion euros in the same month the previous year.
On a per 10,000 companies basis, the total corporate insolvency rate in Germany was 5.2 in November. The industries with the highest insolvency rates per 10,000 companies were the transportation and warehousing sector, with 9.0 cases, followed by the construction industry, with 7.5 insolvencies and the hospitality industry, with 6.9 insolvencies.
In November 2024, there were also 5,971 consumer insolvency applications, a 2.8 percent increase from the same month in 2023, according to the statisticians.