Brussels – Europe and the Arabs

Commercial courts recorded 487 bankruptcy cases, a decrease of 29.5% compared to July 2026 (691 cases).
The number of bankruptcies recorded in August 2026 is lower than the figure for the same month in 2025 (-3.0%) but higher than the number recorded in 2024 (+11.7%), according to figures from the Belgian statistical office.
Regionally, the number of bankruptcies fell in all areas compared to July 2026. However, the Flanders region alone saw an increase compared to August 2025 (+17.6%) and August 2024 (+9.9%). Notably, this marks the highest number of bankruptcies for the month of August in Flanders since the previous record set in 2012 (300 cases versus 285).
Since the beginning of the year, commercial courts have declared 4,470 bankruptcies in Flanders. This figure represents a 4.8% increase over the previous record set in 2025 (4,267 cases).
The number of bankruptcies recorded in August 2026 decreased compared to July 2026 across all sectors, with the exception of the industry and energy sectors (27 cases versus 26) and agriculture and fisheries (3 cases versus one). Four sectors also recorded an increase in the number of bankruptcies compared to August 2025 and August 2024:
"Other services," with 86 bankruptcies—the highest figure for August since 2018 (89 cases);
"Liberal professions and scientific and technical activities," with 47 bankruptcies—a figure comparable to that of 2018 (48 cases).
"Other services," with 86 bankruptcies—the highest figure for August since 2018 (89 cases);
"Liberal professions and scientific and technical activities," with 47 bankruptcies—a figure comparable to that of 2018 (48 cases). The transport and storage sector saw 42 bankruptcies, the highest number recorded for August, surpassing the previous record of 34 cases in August 2025. The agriculture and fisheries sector also recorded 3 bankruptcies, the highest figure for August since 2023 (7 cases).
After the first eight months of 2026, Belgium recorded a record number of bankruptcies in three sectors:
Transport and storage, with 566 bankruptcies declared—a 14.6% increase over the previous record set in 2025 (494 cases);
Information and communication, with 276 bankruptcies declared—a 9.1% increase over the previous record set in 2014 (253 cases); In the "other services" sector, the number of bankruptcies reached 1,249—an increase of 2.8% over the previous record set in 2013 (1,215 cases).
The number of jobs lost due to bankruptcy in August 2026 stood at 1,415. This represents a 30.2% decrease compared to July 2026 (2,026 jobs). It also marks a 26.7% decline compared to August 2025, yet an increase of 23.4% compared to August 2024.
Job losses in August 2026 were lower across all regions compared to July 2026. However, in Flanders, job losses rose compared to both August 2025 (+4.2%) and August 2024 (+21.0%). For comparison, one must look back to 2020 to find a higher number of job losses in August in Flanders (1,726 jobs versus 738).
The number of jobs lost due to bankruptcy in August 2026 increased compared to July 2026 in the "other services" sector (493 jobs versus 405) and in the agriculture and fisheries sectors (3 jobs versus one). These two sectors also recorded greater job losses compared to August 2025 and August 2024:
In the "other services" sector, 493 jobs were lost—the highest figure for August since the previous record set in 2014 (443 jobs);
And in the agriculture and fisheries sectors, 3 jobs were lost, with no higher figure recorded for this month since 2023 (7 jobs).