Overview
- Datev reports planned business closures rose to 1.51% in 2025 from 0.97% in 2024, while unplanned shutdowns increased to 0.73% from 0.54%.
- Forced-closure hotspots shifted to western states, with North Rhine-Westphalia jumping to 1.16% from 0.69% and increases also seen in Baden-Württemberg and the northwest.
- Creditreform confirms the pattern, noting the sharpest 2025 insolvency increases in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, with Berlin highest at 130 per 10,000 firms and the lowest rates in Thuringia and Brandenburg.
- Revenues fell for a third straight year in 2025 as wages rose about 5% in 2023–2024 and another 4.2% in 2025, contributing to liquidity strain and declining staff numbers.
- Allianz Trade counted 94 large-company insolvencies in 2025, up 8% year over year, with Germany accounting for about a fifth of the global total and posing supply-chain domino risks for small suppliers.