During 2018, the District Courts rendered judgments on 7,599 bankruptcies, of which 7,223 involved companies (including sole traders), 141 involved private individuals and 235 involved estates of deceased persons.

The number of corporate bankruptcies increased by 13 % over the previous year. The number of employees affected by bankruptcies was 19,466 persons, an increase of 11 %.

There were 140 compulsory compositions during the year compared with 151 in 2017. The number of employees in these companies was 5,787, compared with 3,360 in 2017.

Corporate bankruptcies increased by 20 % in the years 2017 to 2018 compared to 2016. Between 2014 and 2016, the number of bankruptcies dropped by 22 %.

The manufacturing industry saw 358 bankruptcies, representing a 10 % increase. Bankruptcies in the construction industry increased by 8 % to 1,338 companies.

In trade, bankruptcies increased by 2 % to 1,502 companies. In the hotel and restaurant sector, there were 594 bankruptcies, a 15 % increase. In the transport and communications sector, 681 companies were declared bankrupt (a 17 % increase) and in finance, real estate and business services, 1,342 companies were declared bankrupt (a 10 % increase). In the group of civil authorities, education and other services, the number of bankruptcies was 561 companies (a 17 % increase).

The number of employees affected by bankruptcies increased by 32 % in the hotel and restaurant sector.

The number of corporate bankruptcies in 2018 in Stockholm County was 2,408 (an 11 % increase), in Västra Götaland County it was 1,057 (a 22 % increase) and in Skåne County it was 1,023 (a 4 % increase).

In Örebro County, 193 companies were declared bankrupt, a 39 % increase. However, the number of employees in bankrupt companies decreased by 46 % in Örebro County.

The proportion of companies that were declared bankrupt in relation to the number of companies per county in 2018 was highest in Stockholm County, where 0.7 % of companies were declared bankrupt.

The proportion of employees who were affected by bankruptcies, in relation to the total number of employees, was highest in Södermanland County, where 0.8 % of employees were affected by bankruptcies.

Broken down by industry, the highest number of companies declared bankrupt in relation to the total number of companies was in the hotel and restaurant sector, where nearly 1.8 % of all companies were declared bankrupt. Nearly 1.3 % of companies in the construction industry were declared bankrupt.