Bankruptcies of businesses in the EU increased by 5.7% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the first quarter, while registrations decreased by 0.5%.
The information comes from data on business registrations and bankruptcies published by the EU’s statistics agency Eurostat.
Business registrations decreased in 5 out of 8 sectors of the business economy in the second quarter of 2026. Industry registered the largest drop (-3.6%), followed by accommodation and food services (-3.4%) and education and social services (-3.2%). The number of business registrations increased sharply in the information and communication sector (+8.8%) and an increase was also recorded in construction sector (+1.0%), while financial services remained stable (+0.0%).
Bankruptcies increased in 5 out of 8 sectors. The largest increases were recorded in education and social activities (+21.1%), transport (+11.4%) and financial services (+6.8%). Decreases in bankruptcies were recorded in the accommodation and food services (-2.6%), construction (-1.7%) and trade (-1.2%).
Statistics Explained article on quarterly registrations of new businesses and declarations of bankruptcies, Eurostat
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