In May 2026, German local courts registered 1,995 corporate insolvencies. According to data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Friday, this figure represents a 2.0 percent decrease compared to the same month last year. The number of business insolvencies had previously dropped by 1.0 percent in February 2026. It is important to note that these figures are recorded only after the initial decision by the insolvency court, meaning the actual date of filing the bankruptcy request is often approximately three months earlier.
Looking at the longer period, between January and May 2026, 10,546 corporate insolvencies were registered, a 4.9 percent increase over the corresponding period in 2025. The total claims filed by creditors in these corporate bankruptcies amounted to roughly 15.4 billion euros. This is a significant drop from the approximately 25.7 billion euros recorded during the first five months of 2025, despite the rising number of filings. This decrease in creditor claims is attributed to the fact that more economically significant companies filed for bankruptcy during the first five months of 2025 than in 2026.
Analyzing the frequency, there were a total of 29.8 corporate insolvencies per 10,000 companies between January and May 2026. The highest rate was observed in the Transport and Storage sector, with 57.2 cases per 10,000 companies. This was followed by the hospitality industry, at 49.2 cases, and the construction industry, which registered 44.0 insolvencies.
In parallel, consumer insolvencies stood at 5,926 in May 2026, marking a 10.3 percent reduction compared to May of the previous year. For the period spanning January to May 2026, a total of 32,093 consumer insolvencies were reported, which represents a 1.9 percent rise when compared to the same period last year, Destatis confirmed.
