According to the current Ifo economic survey, the proportion of companies that acutely fear for their economic existence rose to 7.3% in October 2024. In October 2023 it was only 6.8%. “The continuous increase in corporate insolvencies is likely to continue,” comments Klaus Wohlrabe, head of the Ifo surveys. “In addition to a lack of orders, the increasing international competitive pressure is causing so much trouble for many companies that they see their future in acute danger.” According to Ifo, the number of company bankruptcies is significantly higher than in previous years. The main reasons given for the existential concerns were the lack of orders, rising operating and personnel costs, bureaucratic requirements and ongoing reluctance.
The increase in existential concerns is primarily due to the manufacturing sector. Here the proportion of concerned companies rose from 6.4% to 8.6% in one year. Overall, retail companies feel most threatened. The share in retail is 13.8%; in October 2023 it was 10.3%.
