Business Bankruptcies Reach Record Lows Despite Sluggish Economic Growth
Global economic growth forecasts have been revised downwards almost every year since the financial crisis, with a lack of growth engines, fiscally hampered governments, and the preceding overinvestment all playing a part in establishing this pattern. Despite the sluggish growth environment, global corporate failure rates have declined, reaching record lows in some major economies, according to Dun & Bradstreet’s analysis.
Out of a total of 38 countries in our analysis, 26 experienced falling bankruptcy rates relative to the previous year; meanwhile the failure rate stagnated in two countries, and only ten countries saw the rate increase. Our analysis shows that bankruptcy rates have declined in the majority of both developed and developing countries. Regionally, 16 out of 23 European countries and 9 out of 11 Asia-Oceana countries have seen decreasing bankruptcy rates—a good sign in a slow-growth economy.
What are the Emerging Trends from the 2017 Global Bankruptcy Report?
- Bankruptcy rates have declined in a majority of both developed and developing countries.
- Regionally, failures have declined in 16 out of 23 European countries in our sample, with only one large economy – the UK – represented in the ‘deteriorating’ group.
- Nine out of eleven countries in our Asia-Oceania region had declining failure rates, including China.
- The other global economic behemoths – the US, Japan and Germany – also experienced declining failure rates in 2016.
- Dun & Bradstreet expects global growth of 2.7% in 2017 (up from an estimated 2.2% in 2016) and 3.0% in 2018.