EU Corporate Bankruptcies Hit Highest Level Since 2019 in Q2, Eurostat Says

According to Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, cited by Eghtesad News and carried by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Tuesday, 18 August 2026 (27 Mordad 1405), business bankruptcy declarations in the European Union rose 5.7 percent in the second quarter of 2026 from the first quarter, reaching their highest level since the first quarter of 2019, while new business registrations fell 0.5 percent.

The eurozone fared worse: new registrations fell 0.1 percent while bankruptcies rose 6.9 percent. By sector, the sharpest rises in bankruptcies were in education and social activities, up 21.1 percent, transport, up 11.4 percent, and financial services, up 6.8 percent.