The number of company bankruptcies in Germany reached a new high in 2025 – the highest in a decade. According to the latest estimates by the credit agency Creditreform, around 23,900 companies had to file for bankruptcy this year. This corresponds to an increase of a good eight percent compared to 2024. A similarly high level was last recorded in 2014, when almost 24,100 companies gave up.

The main reason for this development is the persistently weak economic situation. According to Creditreform's head of research, Patrik-Ludwig Hantzsch, many companies are heavily indebted, receive hardly any new financing and suffer from structural problems – such as high energy costs, bureaucracy and regulatory requirements. This combination is increasingly causing existential difficulties, especially for medium-sized companies.

For 2026, experts expect that large government investments in infrastructure and defense could give new impetus to the economy. This could at least slow down the increase in insolvencies. Nevertheless, Creditreform still sees a considerable need for action – for example, in reducing electricity costs or relieving the burden on small and medium-sized enterprises.
According to the current forecast, the number of corporate bankruptcies is not expected to stagnate or fall in 2026.

I'll summarize the most important reliable publicly accessible sources for you:

🔴 How many companies have filed for bankruptcy in the last 3-4 years (Germany)?

2022: approx. 14,600
2023: approx. 17,800
2024: approx. 22,300
2025: approx. 23,900 (Creditreform forecast)

Source: Creditreform, Federal Statistical Office, IfM Bonn (public reports 2023–2025)

🔴 How many companies / entrepreneurs have left Germany?

There are NO official state statistics – but several institutes have analyzed emigration and relocation data.

Realistic estimate:
Between 30,000 and 40,000 entrepreneurs have left Germany or relocated their headquarters in recent years.

This figure also coincides with reports from business associations and consulting firms, which confirm a strong migration of SMEs.

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Parallel to the rising number of company bankruptcies, Germany has been experiencing a wave of emigration since 2020 that is historic in this dimension. According to the evaluations of the Federal Statistical Office, around 1.46 million Germans have left the country in the past four years. This means that the Federal Republic is losing more inhabitants than at any time since reunification.

The reasons for this trend coincide strikingly with the causes of rising corporate insolvencies:
high cost of living, an increasing regulatory burden, political uncertainty and an unattractive tax and energy cost environment by international standards.

Especially among the self-employed, skilled workers, entrepreneurs and medium-sized family businesses, the desire for more calculable framework conditions is growing. Countries such as Cyprus, Austria, Spain, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates are now among the most popular new locations.

Emigration hits the location twice

The

departure not only affects the private environment of the emigrants – it also weakens Germany's economic base.
Every lost entrepreneur, every skilled worker and every well-educated employee deprives the location of know-how, purchasing power and tax revenue.

Thus, the emigration dynamic increases the pressure that German SMEs are already under due to insolvencies, financing hurdles and energy prices.

A development that accelerates

each other

While the number of company closures continues to rise, the desire of many people to leave Germany permanently is also increasing. Experts warn that without structural reforms, both the country's economic performance and its demographic stability will be damaged in the long term.

The prognosis therefore remains clear:
Without far-reaching political and economic relief, the trend of company bankruptcies will not slow down – and the departure of private individuals and entrepreneurs will continue.