Checked Barometer January 2026
Edition of 26 September 2026 · KBO · Belgian Official Gazette
In January 2026, the Belgian Official Gazette published 852 bankruptcies, 3% fewer than in January 2025. In January 2026, 18,872 companies were incorporated, 15% more than in January 2025.
This edition was compiled on 26 September 2026, after its regular publication date (6 February 2026). The figures are that day's count and no longer change.
Bankruptcies
852
-3% year on year-7% month on month
10,703 over twelve months
Judicial reorganisations
49
+2.1% year on year-3.9% month on month
522 over twelve months
Judicial dissolutions
327
-36% year on year+24% month on month
3,402 over twelve months
In brief
Sentences taken straight from this edition's figures. Credit Checked.be as the source.
Incorporations
- In January 2026, 18,872 companies were incorporated, 15% more than in January 2025.
- Compared with December 2025 (11,185), that is 69% more.
- Over the twelve months from February 2025 to January 2026 there were 141,013, 16% more than the twelve months before.
Bankruptcies
- In January 2026, the Belgian Official Gazette published 852 bankruptcies, 3% fewer than in January 2025.
- Compared with December 2025 (916), that is 7% fewer.
- Over the twelve months from February 2025 to January 2026 there were 10,703, as many as the twelve months before.
- By area: 429 in Flanders, 199 in Wallonia and 224 in Brussels and Halle-Vilvoorde.
Judicial reorganisations
- In January 2026, the Belgian Official Gazette published 49 judicial reorganisations, 2.1% more than in January 2025.
- Compared with December 2025 (51), that is 3.9% fewer.
- Over the twelve months from February 2025 to January 2026 there were 522, 2.2% more than the twelve months before.
Judicial dissolutions
- In January 2026, the Belgian Official Gazette published 327 judicial dissolutions, 36% fewer than in January 2025.
- Compared with December 2025 (264), that is 24% more.
- Over the twelve months from February 2025 to January 2026 there were 3,402, 22% fewer than the twelve months before.
By region
January 2026, with the change on the same month a year earlier.
| Area | Incorporations | Bankruptcies | Judicial reorganisations | Judicial dissolutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flanders | 9,085+8.4% | 429-4% | 12-14% | 32-84% |
| Wallonia | 5,329+29% | 199-9.1% | 15-12% | 59+16% |
| Brussels and Halle-Vilvoorde | 3,317+15% | 224+5.7% | 22+29% | 236-8.2% |
| No known area | 1,141+11% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Belgium | 18,872+15% | 852-3% | 49+2.1% | 327-36% |
The Brussels courts also serve Halle-Vilvoorde, so that arrondissement counts with Brussels. Incorporations follow the registered office (for a sole trader, the first establishment).
Bankruptcies by sector
January 2026 against January 2025. Main activity according to the KBO (NACE 2025).
January 2026
January 2025
- Construction ≥ 126
- Wholesale and retail trade ≥ 110
- Accommodation and food service ≥ 100
- Administrative and support services ≥ 46
- Transport and storage ≥ 44
- Other services ≥ 39
- Manufacturing ≥ 30
- Professional and technical services ≥ 29
- Telecoms and IT ≥ 16
- Real estate ≥ 14
Show all 19 sectors
- Publishing and media ≥ 5
- Finance and insurance ≥ 5
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing ≥ 4
- Health and social work ≥ 4
- Arts, sports and recreation ≥ 2
- Water and waste ≥ 1
- Public administration ≥ 1
- Education ≥ 1
- Energy ≥ 0
The sector is known for 68% of the cases of January 2026 (275 without a sector). Hence no change per sector. This edition kept no count of active companies, so no figure per 10,000.
Incorporations by sector
January 2026 against January 2025. Main activity according to the KBO (NACE 2025).
January 2026
January 2025
- Professional and technical services ≥ 2,650 +16%
- Construction ≥ 2,056 +17%
- Wholesale and retail trade ≥ 1,701 +22%
- Administrative and support services ≥ 1,523 +24%
- Other services ≥ 1,459 +22%
- Health and social work ≥ 805 -1%
- Telecoms and IT ≥ 743 +14%
- Accommodation and food service ≥ 704 +25%
- Education ≥ 653 +15%
- Arts, sports and recreation ≥ 637 -6.2%
Show all 22 sectors
- Manufacturing ≥ 617 +13%
- Transport and storage ≥ 581 +51%
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing ≥ 474 -6.9%
- Real estate ≥ 353 +2%
- Publishing and media ≥ 207 +57%
- Finance and insurance ≥ 122 -52%
- Households ≥ 73 -2.7%
- Energy ≥ 40 +67%
- Water and waste ≥ 20 +5.3%
- Public administration ≥ 5 -62%
- Mining and quarrying ≥ 0 -100%
- Extraterritorial organisations ≥ 0 -100%
The sector is known for 82% of the cases of January 2026 (3,449 without a sector). This edition kept no count of active companies, so no figure per 10,000.
Notable sectors
The largest shifts against January 2025, from 10 cases and a difference of 5 cases.
- Professional and technical services: at least 2,650 incorporations, 16% more than in January 2025 (2,279).
- Wholesale and retail trade: at least 1,701 incorporations, 22% more than in January 2025 (1,399).
- Administrative and support services: at least 1,523 incorporations, 24% more than in January 2025 (1,225).
- Finance and insurance: at least 122 incorporations, 52% fewer than in January 2025 (255).
- Public administration: at least 5 incorporations, 62% fewer than in January 2025 (13).
For bankruptcies, the sectors of this month and of January 2025 are not equally well known (68% and 51%); a comparison per sector would measure our coverage, not the economy.
Cite these figures
This page no longer changes: the link keeps pointing at the same figures.
Checked.be, Checked Barometer January 2026 (edition of 26 September 2026), https://checked.be/en/barometer/2026-01
How these figures are counted
- An edition appears on day 6 of the next month, so the last days of the month are processed, and is then frozen: the figures on this page no longer change. If data for the month arrives later, it is listed above under Revisions.
- Incorporations: companies per month of their start date in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises, sole traders included.
- Bankruptcies, judicial reorganisations (opening) and judicial dissolutions: by month of publication in the Belgian Official Gazette, not of the judgment.
- Sectors: the main activity (NACE 2025) the KBO gave the company. Where the sector of part of the cases is unknown, the figure carries "≥" and we compare per sector only when both months are equally well known.
- Per 10,000 active companies: the month's figure against the sector's active companies on the day the edition was frozen.