The number of personal bankruptcies in the Czech Republic continues to rise significantly. Particularly affected are structurally weak regions such as Ústí nad Labem and Moravian-Silesian. The fewest cases were recorded in the regions of Zlín and Vysočina.
By the end of October, Czech courts had declared a total of 13,241 personal bankruptcies – an increase of 16% compared with the same period last year. At the same time, 13,664 applications for personal bankruptcy were submitted, around 12% (1,476) more than in 2024. This is according to an analysis by the Czech Credit Bureau (CRIF) based on data from the portal www.informaceofirmach.cz.
“The number of personal bankruptcies has risen by 16% this year. With 13,241 cases, the number of personal bankruptcies has reached its highest level since 2020,” explains Věra Kameníčková, analyst at CRIF.
Regionally, there is a significant disparity: most personal bankruptcies were registered in the Moravian-Silesian region (2,049), followed by Ústí nad Labem (1,844) and Central Bohemia (1,400). The fewest cases were recorded in Zlín (446), Vysočina (469) and Karlovy Vary (487).
The increase compared with the previous year varied across regions. In Prague, the number of personal bankruptcies rose by 33% and has shown a strong increase throughout the year. In Vysočina it rose by 25%, in Pilsen by 24%. Smaller increases were recorded in Zlín (+1%), Liberec (+8%) and Hradec Králové (+11%).
In the long term, people in structurally weak regions are particularly at risk: Ústí nad Labem, Moravian-Silesian and Karlovy Vary. Central Bohemia is now included as well. In Ústí nad Labem, over the past 12 months, 50 personal bankruptcies occurred per 10,000 inhabitants over the age of 15. In Moravian-Silesian and Central Bohemia, there were 24 personal bankruptcies each. The lowest risk was recorded in Pilsen with eight bankruptcies per 10,000 inhabitants, Vysočina and Zlín with 11 each.
“Interestingly, regions with generally low risk simultaneously show above-average growth rates in personal bankruptcies. These include Prague, Pilsen and Vysočina,” Kameníčková continues.
People aged between 30 and 40 are most often affected by personal bankruptcy. The average age of those affected is decreasing slightly: while it was 44.2 years in 2008, it is now 42 years.
CRIF – Czech Credit Bureau
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