Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

Belgian commercial courts recorded approximately 981 bankruptcies in January, a decrease of 12.1% compared to December 2025 (1,116 cases).

According to a statement issued by the Belgian Statistical Office, a copy of which we received, the number of bankruptcies registered in January 2026 is higher than the number recorded in the same month of 2025 (+3.7%) and 2024 (+4.1%). This is the highest number recorded in January in Belgium since 2014 (1,014 cases).

Regionally, the number of bankruptcies decreased in all regions compared to December 2025. However, Flanders saw an increase compared to January 2025 (+10.6%) and January 2024 (+16.5%). This is also the highest number of bankruptcies in January in the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders since the previous record in 2025 (606 cases compared to 548).

The number of bankruptcies registered in January 2026 decreased in all sectors compared to December 2025, except for the industry and energy sector (41 cases compared to 39) and the agriculture and fisheries sector (8 cases compared to 8). Four sectors saw an increase in the number of bankruptcies compared to January 2025 and January 2024:

The other services sector with 167 bankruptcies, a record high since 2020;

The transport and storage sector with 72 bankruptcies, the highest number recorded for January since the previous record of 63 in January 2013;

The information and communication sector with 37 bankruptcies, the highest number recorded for January since 2014 (38 cases); The agriculture and fisheries sector saw eight bankruptcies, a record high since 2022.

The number of jobs lost due to bankruptcies in January 2026 was 2,326. This represents a 15% decrease compared to December 2025 (2,736 jobs). It also represents a 5.5% decrease compared to January 2025 and a 5.9% decrease compared to January 2024.
The number of jobs lost in January 2026 was lower in all regions compared to December 2025. However, Wallonia saw an increase in job losses compared to both January 2025 (+33.5%) and January 2024 (+14.9%). For comparison, the highest number of job losses in January in French-speaking Wallonia was recorded in 2015 (787 jobs compared to 677).

The number of jobs lost due to bankruptcies in January 2026 increased compared to December 2025 in two sectors of economic activity. This number rose from:

484 to 635 in the Other Services sector (+151), the highest number of job losses since October 2019 (757);

143 to 210 in the Industry and Energy sector (+67), the highest number of job losses since October 2025 (341).

Four sectors recorded greater job losses compared to January 2025 and January 2024:

The Other Services sector with 635 job losses, the highest number for January since 2013 (794);

The Transportation and Storage sector with 196 job losses, the highest number for January since 2013 (257);

The Information and Communications sector with 53 job losses, a figure unchanged from 2021 (66); The agriculture and fisheries sector saw 8 job losses, the highest number in January since 2022 (31).