Saxony Has Fewer Business Bankruptcies Than the National Average

The ongoing crisis in the German economy is driving numerous companies in Saxony into bankruptcy as well—though fewer than elsewhere. According to current projections by the credit agency Creditreform, 66 out of every 10,000 companies in Saxony filed for bankruptcy in the first half of this year. This places Saxony in the lower middle range in a comparison of German states and below the national average of 82 insolvencies per 10,000 companies. 

According to the figures, the highest number of insolvencies occurred in Berlin (120) and Bremen (119), while the lowest was in Thuringia (37). The credit agency does not provide an explanation for the regional differences. However, there are certain “insolvency-prone sectors,” including construction, retail, and the hospitality industry.

Large Companies Particularly Often Affected

Large companies with more than 250 employees are currently particularly hard hit. According to Creditreform, the increase in bankruptcy figures in this group was 28.6 percent.

Due to the economic structure of the eastern federal states, there are comparatively fewer large companies there. According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, in 2024, roughly one-third of the 3.8 million business locations nationwide were located in the “six largest metropolitan areas”: Rhine-Ruhr, Berlin, Rhine-Main, Stuttgart, Hamburg, and Munich. A total of 14.4 million people work in these areas. In contrast, the increase among small and medium-sized enterprises with up to 250 employees was significantly lower at 4.9 percent. 

Nationwide, according to projections by the credit agency Creditreform, 12,900 companies will have filed for bankruptcy by the end of the first half of the year. That would be nearly eight percent more than in the same period last year and the highest figure for a first half-year since 2013, when there were 13,310 cases.