Annual bankruptcies fall by 15%, but hospitality businesses still failing faster
Business bankruptcies in the Netherlands fell sharply in 2025, dropping 15 percent from a year earlier, but hospitality companies continued to fail at a faster pace than other sectors, according to new data released Monday by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
A total of 3,636 businesses and institutions, including sole proprietorships, were declared bankrupt in 2025. That compares with 4,270 in 2024. The CBS data also show that accommodation and food services remained the most vulnerable sector, with the highest bankruptcy rate at the end of the year.
The data show a clear difference between the sector with the most bankruptcies in absolute terms and the sector that was hardest hit relative to its size.
Measured by total number of bankruptcies in 2025, the trade sector was the most affected. Trade accounted for 706 bankruptcies, the highest of any sector. Construction followed with 488 bankruptcies, and specialised business services recorded 378. CBS noted that these sectors also have the largest numbers of active businesses, which contributes to their higher totals.
Measured by bankruptcy rate — the number of bankruptcies per 100,000 businesses — the accommodation and food services sector was the hardest hit. In December 2025, that sector posted a bankruptcy rate of 29.5, the highest of all sectors and higher than 27.5 a year earlier. The elevated rate indicates that hospitality businesses failed at a faster pace than companies in any other sector, despite having fewer total bankruptcies than trade or construction.
CBS said the overall trend since late 2024 has been slightly downward, following a period of stabilization after bankruptcy rates rose again in the years after the pandemic.
Adjusted for court session days, 265 businesses and institutions were declared bankrupt in December. That was 60 fewer than in December 2024, a year-over-year decline of 18 percent. Compared with November, bankruptcies fell by 14 percent. The bankruptcy rate in December stood at 7.1, down from 8.9 a year earlier.
When court session days are not taken into account, accommodation and food services recorded the highest bankruptcy rate in December, at 29.5, up from 27.5 in December 2024. Most other sectors saw lower rates than a year earlier, including transportation and storage, manufacturing, trade, construction, and renting and other business services.
