Some 30% more companies went bust in 2024 than in 2023, taking the total to an eight-year high, national statistics agency CBS said on Monday.

In total, 4,270 companies were declared bankrupt last year, compared with 3,300 the year before.

The bankruptcy rate was up across all sectors, with the trade sector accounting for the bulk of the companies closing their doors. In 2024, 811 traders went bust, including high street giants such as Blokker, Bristol, Scotch & Soda, Game Mania and the Dutch arm of The Body Shop.

In total, 157 “special business services” firms went bust, as did 139 construction firms. The increase there is largely down to specialised building sectors, such as technical installations and finishing, the CBS said.

The figures show considerable fluctuation on a month by month basis and large regional variations. In Flevoland, for example, few firms were shut down. Most bankruptcies were in the province of Zuid-Holland.

Even though the number of firms going bust was an eight-year high, the level is still far below the rate at the time of the 2008 financial crisis. In 2013, for example, 9,431 firms went bust.