Press release No. 151 of 16 April 2019
WIESBADEN – In 2010, 142,086 insolvency proceedings concerning natural persons were opened in Germany. By the end of 2017, the courts had granted discharge of residual debt in 84.7% of the cases (120,403). The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that consumer insolvency proceedings (91,258 or 85.9% of the total of 106,291 cases) accounted for most of the discharges of residual debt. In addition, formerly self-employed people obtained discharge of residual debt in 17,422 insolvency proceedings (83.4% of the total of 20,889 cases). Other debtors were granted discharge of residual debt in 11,723 insolvency proceedings (mainly sole proprietorships; 78.6% of the total of 14,906 cases).
