Bankruptcies in Brussels: overview, sectors and regional mechanisms

Overview

In 2025, 2,208 businesses were declared bankrupt in the Brussels-Capital Region, a 13.2% increase compared to 2024. This is the strongest regional increase in Belgium: Flanders recorded +7.8%, while Wallonia saw a decrease of -3.0%.

At the national level, 11,837 bankruptcies were pronounced in 2025, up 5.9%. The bankruptcy rate relative to the number of active businesses (1,575,898) stands at 0.75%.

For 2024, the FPS Economy recorded 11,063 SMEs going bankrupt in Belgium (businesses with fewer than 250 employees), resulting in the loss of 25,784 jobs. Brussels accounted for 1,922 of these bankruptcies (17.4%) and 3,843 job losses (14.9%), with an average of 2 jobs lost per bankruptcy.

Methodological note: the Brussels enterprise court sometimes pronounces judicial dissolutions rather than bankruptcies in the strict sense. Official Statbel statistics only count bankruptcies, which may underestimate the actual number of business closures.

Hardest-hit sectors

Construction

The construction sector is among the most affected. In 2024, 405 construction businesses went bankrupt in Brussels. At the national level, the first half of 2025 saw 1,443 bankruptcies in the construction sector. The suspension of Renolution grants directly weakened Brussels construction businesses.

Hospitality (horeca)

The Brussels hospitality sector accounts for 6% of SMEs but concentrates 17% of bankruptcies — a structural imbalance. The lifespan of business concepts has shrunk from a historical 7–10 years to 3–5 years currently. The hotel VAT increase from 6% to 12% on 1 March 2025 adds further pressure.

Retail

Retail is affected by the rise in vacant commercial premises: a 13.5% vacancy rate in Brussels (approximately 3,500 vacant units, according to hub.brussels).

Factors cited by official actors

Institutional sources identify several converging factors:

• Debts accumulated during COVID, not yet absorbed (enterprise court)
• Inflation and high energy costs (FPS Economy)
• Pressure on mature businesses (5–10 years old), established just before successive crises (GraydonCreditsafe)
• Suspension of Renolution grants — direct impact on Brussels construction (Embuild Brussels)
• Hotel VAT increase 6% → 12% on 1 March 2025

BGM lists these factors as cited by official sources, without ranking them or providing causal analysis.

Regional mechanisms

The Brussels-Capital Region has several mechanisms to support businesses in difficulty:

Open questions: the number of cases handled by the CEd relative to the total number of bankruptcies, the regional budget specifically allocated to bankruptcy prevention, and the capacity of these mechanisms in the face of a 13.2% increase are not publicly documented at this stage.

Coverage in the Regional Policy Declaration

The Regional Policy Declaration of 13 February 2026 does not explicitly mention bankruptcies or the CEd. The economic measures identified concern:

• Urban Free Zone (Port of Brussels + Audi Forest site) — tax relief, single administrative window, dedicated Actiris unit
• hub.brussels — continuation of international economic missions
• Innoviris — integration with Finance.Brussels

The Regional Policy Declaration's approach is oriented towards attractiveness (attracting new investment) rather than supporting existing businesses in difficulty.

What the data does not tell us

Bankruptcy statistics do not capture voluntary closures, judicial dissolutions, or businesses in difficulty that have not yet reached the bankruptcy threshold. The actual number of businesses in distress is likely higher than official figures.

The available data also does not allow measuring the cascading impact: indirect job losses, effects on suppliers, transformation of commercial districts, or the psychological impact on entrepreneurs.