The case
Company bankruptcies in Switzerland skyrocketed in the first 11 months of 2025, particularly affecting the construction sector, catering sector as well as retail sectors.
Source: swissinfo.ch
The commentary
According to economic information service Crif, 11,057 companies went bankrupt between January and November, a rise of more than 36 % compared with the same period last year. The increase accelerated towards the end of the year, after standing at just under 20 % after nine months.
The construction sector recorded the most bankruptcies (1,576 cases), followed by catering (1,090) and retail (774). Crif partly attributes the rise to a legal change introduced on 1 January 2025, which allows tax debts of registered companies to be claimed in bankruptcy proceedings.
Despite this trend, new business formation have remained robust. Nearly 49,000 new companies were registered by the end of November, i.e. up 4.4 % year-on-year. The strongest growth was seen in retail, management consulting and the property sector, while start-ups declined notably in IT services, catering and retail.









