publication
2025-11-26 10:25
In October 2025, a new monthly record was broken in the number of announcements of personal bankruptcy. The ranks of bankrupts increased by almost 2.2 thousand. people. A decade ago, this result was achieved for the entire calendar year.
There is no sign of a slowdown in the number of bankruptcies of natural persons observed at the beginning of the year. Recent months have brought significant growth, and the third quarter closed with a result unheard of in the entire history of this institution in Poland. 5,560 people declared bankruptcy during this time.
The latest data is also record-breaking. According to the information collected by the Central Economic Information Center, in October a number of 2,196 notices of consumer bankruptcy. This is the highest monthly result recorded so far. Compared to the same period last year, the dynamics is relatively low (approx. +12%), but October has been characterized by a large number of bankruptcies compared to other months for several years.
A scenario is still likely in which the number of consumer bankruptcies in 2025 will not break the record recorded in 2024. If we assume that in November and December the number of bankruptcies will remain at a level close to this year's average, the number of bankruptcies will be approximately the same as last year. This will negate an almost uninterrupted sequence of subsequent maxima. The only exception so far was 2022, when the slowdown was due to the procedural revolution in the courts and the transition to a largely digital process.
Consumer bankruptcy – from restrictions to open doors
The development of consumer bankruptcy in Poland was closely related to the applicable legal provisions. The procedure has been in practice since 2009, but its high level of complexity and significant costs meant that only a small group of people could use it.
In the years 2015-2020, the procedure was slightly unblocked, but it was still beyond the reach of a significant group of debtors. A bankruptcy petition could be rejected, especially if gross negligence leading to insolvency was found. As a result, mainly consumers whose financial difficulties resulted from circumstances beyond their control had a real chance of declaring bankruptcy. The number of new cases remained in the range of 1-2 thousand per quarter.
The 2020 amendment to the regulations changed the rules for conducting bankruptcy proceedings. Currently, the debtor's fault is not an obstacle to proceeding to the next stages of the procedure, and possible shortcomings are taken into account only when determining issues such as the implementation period of the repayment plan.
In July 2025, another change in legal regulations regarding natural persons heading for bankruptcy was announced. The changes proposed by the Ministry of Justice focus mainly on increasing the efficiency of proceedings.
