Within Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia, the number of new businesses continues to increase in 2026. International entities and businesses without a known address are not included in this analysis. In the first eight months of 2026, 87,980 businesses were established, 5.2% more than a year earlier. At the same time, the number of closures increased much more sharply, by 14.2% to 83,627.
As a result, the gap between company formations and closures is becoming increasingly narrow. While Belgium recorded 10,395 more formations than closures over the same period in 2025, that difference fell to 4,353 entities in 2026.
In other words, for every 100 new businesses, there are now approximately 95 closures.
Of the 83,627 closures recorded in the first eight months of 2026, 8,355 were due to bankruptcy. That is 4.3% more than a year earlier.
However, the overall increase in closures is much higher. Excluding bankruptcies, the number of other closures increased by approximately 15.4%.
The growing outflow from the Belgian business landscape therefore cannot be explained by bankruptcies alone.
Behind the national figure lie two very different trends.
For companies, the balance remains clearly positive. In the first eight months of 2026, 38,989 companies were established, compared with 24,452 closures. This results in a net increase of 14,537 entities.
However, pressure is also increasing in this segment. The number of newly established companies fell by 2.4%, while the number of closures increased by 11.0%.
For sole proprietors, the picture is reversed. Although the number of new registrations increased by 12.2% to 48,991, 59,175 sole-proprietor activities were discontinued. This results in a negative net evolution of 10,184 entities.
For every 100 new sole proprietors, there are therefore approximately 121 closures.
It is therefore the companies that are keeping the overall Belgian business balance positive.
The nature of closures also differs significantly.
Approximately 80% of all bankruptcies relate to companies. For companies, more than a quarter of all closures are due to bankruptcy.
For sole proprietors, that share is much lower: less than 3% of closures are bankruptcies.
The high level of outflow among sole proprietors therefore goes far beyond bankruptcies alone.
At regional level, Flanders stands out in particular. In the first eight months of 2026, 50,302 businesses were established, compared with 49,559 closures. The net evolution therefore amounts to just +743 entities.
A year earlier, that margin still stood at +6,502.
This difference is striking: Flanders is simultaneously recording fewer formations (-2.3%) and significantly more closures (+10.1%).
For every 100 formations, there are now almost 99 closures.
Flanders therefore remains just positive, but is much closer to a balance between inflow and outflow than the other regions.
Wallonia shows the strongest movement on both sides. The number of formations increased by 22.2% to 25,218, while the number of closures rose by 23.4% to 23,320.
Despite this strong outflow, the net evolution remains positive at +1,898 entities, slightly above the +1,738 recorded a year earlier.
Wallonia therefore combines strong inflow with equally strong outflow, without losing its positive net business growth.
Brussels also maintains a positive balance. The capital records 12,460 formations compared with 10,748 closures, resulting in a net evolution of +1,712 entities.
Here too, the margin is narrowing. The number of formations increased by 8.6%, while closures rose by 15.3%.
The Belgian business population continues to grow as long as more businesses are established than closed. However, the gap between the two is narrowing rapidly.
In just one year, the national margin between inflow and outflow has decreased by more than 6,000 entities. This trend is particularly pronounced among sole proprietors and in Flanders.
The key message for 2026 is therefore not that Belgium is already losing more businesses than it gains, but that the buffer between the two is disappearing rapidly.