These sectors are particularly affected by bankruptcies

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• The number of company bankruptcies in Switzerland rose in 2024.
• Especially in southern and central Switzerland.
• Industries such as mechanical engineering, educational services, crafts and hospitality were particularly hard hit.

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Significantly more companies went bankrupt in Switzerland last year. 6047 companies went bankrupt across Switzerland last year, according to the business information service Dun & Bradstreet on Wednesday. This is 19 percent more than in the previous year.

The highest increase in the number of bankruptcies was in southern Switzerland (+27 percent), followed by central Switzerland (+23 percent). Zurich (+18 percent), Northwestern Switzerland (+17 percent), Eastern Switzerland and Ticino followed with 15 percent more bankruptcies each. The smallest increase was in the Central Plateau (+12%).

Crafts and the hospitality industry hit hard

There were also clear differences between the sectors. Insolvencies rose particularly sharply in mechanical engineering (+72%) and education services (+70%). However, the absolute figures in both sectors were relatively low.

The skilled trades sector recorded high growth combined with high case numbers, with 1210 cases (+37 percent), the hospitality industry with 770 cases (+26 percent) and the retail sector with 412 cases (+26 percent). In contrast, there were fewer insolvencies in the wholesale trade (-7 percent), in the manufacture of durable goods (-13 percent) and in the construction industry.

More new registrations

Nevertheless, the number of new entries in the commercial register increased. At 52,973 new companies, this was almost 3% more in 2024 than in the previous year. The figures rose the most in southern Switzerland (+6%), followed by the Central Plateau (+4%) and Ticino (+3%).

In Zurich and eastern Switzerland, the increase was only slight, with only north-eastern Switzerland recording a decline.

Fewer entries among architects and in wholesale

There were also clear differences in the number of new start-ups by sector. There was growth in the automotive industry as well as in the areas of land transportation and logistics, associations, education and the manufacture of goods.

This was followed by real estate agents and managers and business service providers, while architects and wholesale trade recorded a decline.