Overview
- Germany recorded 4,573 insolvencies of persons- and capital-companies in the first quarter of 2026, which the IWH reported Thursday was the highest since the third quarter of 2005 and above the 2009 crisis peak.
- March registered 1,716 cases, up 17% from February and 71% above an average March in 2016–2019, marking the strongest monthly count since June 2005.
- About 54,000 jobs were affected in the quarter, and the largest ten percent of insolvent firms accounted for roughly 14,000 positions in March because the surge was driven by many small-company failures.
- Construction, trade, and other business services showed the highest monthly values in March, with regional peaks since 2020 in Bavaria, Baden‑Württemberg, and North Rhine‑Westphalia.
- The IWH compiles cases from court notices and links them to balance-sheet data, focuses on larger incorporated and partnership firms, and uses early indicators that lead the insolvency series by two to three months.