The number of insolvency applications in Germany continues to rise significantly. Provisional data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) indicates an increase of 11.6 percent in applications filed in August compared to the same month last year.
It’s important to note that insolvency applications are not included in the statistics until after an initial decision has been made by the insolvency court. Statisticians clarified that the actual date of the application often precedes this decision by approximately three months.
Final results for the first half of 2025 show 12,009 applications for corporate insolvency filed by district courts, representing a 12.2 percent increase compared to the first half of 2024.
Claims from creditors associated with these corporate insolvencies reached approximately €28.2 billion during the first half of 2025. This figure is down from the approximately €32.4 billion reported during the first half of 2024. Destatis attributed this decrease in claims despite the increasing number of insolvencies to the fact that more economically significant companies filed for insolvency in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2025.
In June of this year, 1,957 corporate insolvency applications were registered, a 18.4 percent increase year-over-year. Considering every 10,000 companies, Germany saw a total of 34.6 corporate insolvencies during the first half of 2025. The transportation and warehousing sector experienced the highest number of insolvencies per 10,000 companies, with 64.5 cases. This was followed by the hospitality sector at 52.7 and the construction sector at 52.3.
Consumer insolvency filings also saw an increase, with 38,016 cases registered in the first half of 2025. This represents a 7.5 percent increase compared to the first half of 2024. June saw 6,510 consumer insolvency filings, marking a 9.9 percent increase compared to June 2024.