2025 was not a banner year for businesses in Belgium - quite the opposite, in fact.
With 11,697 court rulings, it was the worst year since 2013 in terms of bankruptcies. Compared to 2024, there was a 5.90 percent increase in bankruptcies, according to figures from the trade information agency Graydon.
The construction sector experienced an unprecedented number of bankruptcies, while the transport sector also saw its highest-ever number of bankruptcies.
Entrepreneurship is also faltering: net business growth, or the sum of closures and the creation of new businesses, was at its lowest level in ten years: +6.37 percent. More and more start-ups are also opting for sole proprietorships.
"2025 shows Belgian entrepreneurship that is holding its own, but increasingly opting for caution and survival over growth," Graydon said in its summary of the year.
The business information agency expects the pressure to remain high in 2026, "but at the same time, a clear movement towards greater economic resilience and strategic autonomy is emerging within Europe".
