Checked Barometer April 2026
Edition of 26 September 2026 · KBO · Belgian Official Gazette
In April 2026, the Belgian Official Gazette published 1,094 bankruptcies, 17% more than in April 2025. In April 2026, 17,428 companies were incorporated, 21% more than in April 2025.
This edition was compiled on 26 September 2026, after its regular publication date (6 May 2026). The figures are that day's count and no longer change.
Bankruptcies
1,094
+17% year on year+19% month on month
11,102 over twelve months
Judicial reorganisations
67
+6.3% year on year+22% month on month
572 over twelve months
Judicial dissolutions
223
-31% year on year-28% month on month
3,236 over twelve months
In brief
Sentences taken straight from this edition's figures. Credit Checked.be as the source.
Incorporations
- In April 2026, 17,428 companies were incorporated, 21% more than in April 2025.
- Compared with March 2026 (10,108), that is 72% more.
- Over the twelve months from May 2025 to April 2026 there were 147,589, 19% more than the twelve months before.
Bankruptcies
- In April 2026, the Belgian Official Gazette published 1,094 bankruptcies, 17% more than in April 2025.
- Compared with March 2026 (917), that is 19% more.
- Over the twelve months from May 2025 to April 2026 there were 11,102, 8.1% more than the twelve months before.
- By area: 569 in Flanders, 227 in Wallonia and 298 in Brussels and Halle-Vilvoorde.
Judicial reorganisations
- In April 2026, the Belgian Official Gazette published 67 judicial reorganisations, 6.3% more than in April 2025.
- Compared with March 2026 (55), that is 22% more.
- Over the twelve months from May 2025 to April 2026 there were 572, 13% more than the twelve months before.
- That is the highest monthly figure since January 2019, the start of this series.
Judicial dissolutions
- In April 2026, the Belgian Official Gazette published 223 judicial dissolutions, 31% fewer than in April 2025.
- Compared with March 2026 (310), that is 28% fewer.
- Over the twelve months from May 2025 to April 2026 there were 3,236, 17% fewer than the twelve months before.
By region
April 2026, with the change on the same month a year earlier.
| Area | Incorporations | Bankruptcies | Judicial reorganisations | Judicial dissolutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flanders | 7,865+12% | 569+33% | 240% | 60-37% |
| Wallonia | 5,460+45% | 227+15% | 300% | 36-38% |
| Brussels and Halle-Vilvoorde | 3,217+22% | 298-2.6% | 13+44% | 127-24% |
| No known area | 886-11% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Belgium | 17,428+21% | 1,094+17% | 67+6.3% | 223-31% |
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
April 2026 against April 2025. Main activity according to the KBO (NACE 2025).
April 2026
April 2025
- Construction ≥ 189
- Accommodation and food service ≥ 136
- Wholesale and retail trade ≥ 118
- Professional and technical services ≥ 65
- Transport and storage ≥ 47
- Administrative and support services ≥ 45
- Other services ≥ 41
- Manufacturing ≥ 37
- Telecoms and IT ≥ 28
- Arts, sports and recreation ≥ 25
Show all 17 sectors
- Publishing and media ≥ 9
- Finance and insurance ≥ 9
- Health and social work ≥ 8
- Education ≥ 7
- Real estate ≥ 5
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing ≥ 4
- Water and waste ≥ 0
The sector is known for 71% of the cases of April 2026 (321 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
April 2026 against April 2025. Main activity according to the KBO (NACE 2025).
April 2026
April 2025
- Professional and technical services ≥ 2,326 +18%
- Construction ≥ 1,869 +17%
- Wholesale and retail trade ≥ 1,751 +39%
- Administrative and support services ≥ 1,553 +37%
- Other services ≥ 1,461 +26%
- Accommodation and food service ≥ 793 +17%
- Telecoms and IT ≥ 736 +40%
- Health and social work ≥ 635 +10%
- Manufacturing ≥ 604 +28%
- Arts, sports and recreation ≥ 521 0%
Show all 21 sectors
- Transport and storage ≥ 514 +33%
- Education ≥ 493 +23%
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing ≥ 319 -28%
- Real estate ≥ 285 +10%
- Publishing and media ≥ 209 +71%
- Finance and insurance ≥ 104 -24%
- Households ≥ 64 +42%
- Water and waste ≥ 20 +18%
- Energy ≥ 17 -37%
- Public administration ≥ 2 -50%
- Mining and quarrying ≥ 0 -100%
The sector is known for 82% of the cases of April 2026 (3,152 without a sector). This edition kept no count of active companies, so no figure per 10,000.
Notable sectors
The largest shifts against April 2025, from 10 cases and a difference of 5 cases.
- Wholesale and retail trade: at least 1,751 incorporations, 39% more than in April 2025 (1,257).
- Administrative and support services: at least 1,553 incorporations, 37% more than in April 2025 (1,135).
- Professional and technical services: at least 2,326 incorporations, 18% more than in April 2025 (1,973).
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing: at least 319 incorporations, 28% fewer than in April 2025 (442).
- Finance and insurance: at least 104 incorporations, 24% fewer than in April 2025 (136).
- Energy: at least 17 incorporations, 37% fewer than in April 2025 (27).
For bankruptcies, the sectors of this month and of April 2025 are not equally well known (71% and 54%); 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 April 2026 (edition of 26 September 2026), https://checked.be/en/barometer/2026-04
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.