In February 2025, 984 bankruptcies were registered by the business courts. This is a 4.5% increase compared to January 2025 (942).

Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, also publishes a detailed report with the major developments of the monthly figures on bankruptcies.

The number of bankruptcies registered in February 2025 is lower than in the same month in 2024 (-1.0%) but higher than that in 2023 (+18.8%).

At regional level, the number of bankruptcies increased compared to January 2025 in the Flemish Region (+4.8%) and in the Brussels-Capital Region (+21.0%). Only in this latter region does this number increase compared to both February 2024 (+43.3%) and February 2023 (+114.9%). This is the highest value in February in the Brussels-Capital Region since 2020 (210).

Furthermore, the number of bankruptcies registered in February 2025 has increased in five economic sectors compared to January 2025. Two of these economic sectors also registered a higher number than in February 2024 and February 2023:

• accommodation and food service activities with 175 bankruptcies, where we have to go back to 2020 to see a higher number during that month (178);
• transportation and storage with 73 bankruptcies, or the highest number in that sector for February, since the previous record in February amounted to 55 bankruptcies in 2024.

After two months in 2025, the number of bankruptcies registered in Belgium is a record in three economic sectors:

• transportation and storage with 128 bankruptcies, or 11.3% more than in 2024 (115), the previous record;
• construction where 474 bankruptcies were registered, which is a 6.0% increase compared to the previous record in 2024 (447);
• professional, scientific and technical activities with 157 bankruptcies, or 4.0% more than in 2024 (151).

As regards the number of job losses registered in February 2025, it amounts to 2,844, or a decrease of 1.1% compared to January 2025 (2,877). However, this is an increase of 17.3% compared to February 2024 and of 35.9% compared to February 2023. We have to go back to February 2014 to see a higher number of job losses in Belgium in that month (3,137).

The number of job losses registered in February 2025 is higher than in January 2025 in the Flemish Region (+43.3%) and in the Walloon Region (+7.2%). This number has also increased in the Flemish Region and in the Brussels-Capital Region compared to both February 2024 and February 2023. This is actually the highest value for February in the Flemish Region since the previous record in 2024 (1,712 versus 1,469), while we have to go back to February 2020 to see a higher number of job losses in that month in the Brussels-Capital Region (674 versus 459).

Finally, the number of job losses registered in February 2025 increased in six economic sectors compared to January 2025. Three of these economic sectors also registered a higher number than in February 2024 and February 2023:

• industry, energy with 584 job losses, or the highest number in that month since the previous record in 2020 (571);
• construction where 488 job losses were registered, or the highest number in February since 2016 (488);
• information and communication with 78 job losses, where we have to go back to 2014 to see a higher number during that month (91).

Source: STATBEL
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