Polish courts declared 12,255 individuals bankrupt in the first half of 2026, as the number of consumer insolvencies returned to a strong upward trend.
June alone brought 2,245 new bankruptcy rulings. Should the current pace continue, the annual total could exceed 24,000 cases. People aged between 40 and 49 account for the largest group of bankrupt consumers, while more than one in five cases involve people aged 60 or over.
According to data published by Poland’s Central Economic Information Centre, or COIG, the number of consumer bankruptcies rose from 9,837 in the corresponding period of 2025.
This represents a year-on-year increase of approximately 24.6%.
COIG stated in the description accompanying its report that the increase amounted to 19.73%. However, the figures included in the organisation’s published table indicate a higher growth rate.
The first-half result was also approximately 13% above the level recorded in the corresponding period of 2024, when 10,835 consumer bankruptcies were declared.
June among the strongest months of the year
Polish courts declared 2,245 consumer bankruptcies in June 2026, more than 28% above the 1,751 cases recorded in June of the previous year.
Only March produced a higher monthly total in 2026, with 2,305 bankruptcy rulings.
There were 1,891 consumer bankruptcies in January, 1,707 in February, 2,078 in April and 2,029 in May. This means that, on average, more than 2,000 people were declared bankrupt each month during the first half of the year.
Should a similar pace continue between July and December, the annual number of consumer bankruptcies could exceed 24,000.
COIG noted that this would represent another exceptionally high result following the records observed after Poland liberalised the rules governing debt relief for individuals.
People in their forties most frequently declared bankrupt
People aged between 40 and 49 formed the largest group of bankrupt consumers in the first half of 2026.
There were 3,336 bankruptcies in this age category, representing 27.25% of all cases.
A further 2,981 rulings involved people aged between 30 and 39, who accounted for 24.35% of the total.
The average age of a person declared bankrupt was 47. The youngest individual included in the data was 16, while the oldest was 96.
Senior citizens also represented a significant share of the total. People aged 60 or over accounted for 21.18% of all consumer bankruptcies.
This group included 1,634 people aged between 60 and 69, 881 aged between 70 and 79 and 78 people aged 80 or over.
Men were slightly more likely than women to be declared bankrupt. Courts issued rulings involving 6,685 men, representing 54.55% of all cases, and 5,570 women, equivalent to 45.45%.
Silesia and Mazovia record the highest numbers
The highest number of consumer bankruptcies was recorded in the Silesian province, where courts issued 1,825 rulings.
Mazovia reported an almost identical result, with 1,820 cases, while Greater Poland ranked third with 1,258.
Relatively high totals were also recorded in Lower Silesia, with 960 cases, Lesser Poland, with 949, and Kuyavia-Pomerania, with 915.
The lowest numbers were registered in the Świętokrzyskie province, with 266 bankruptcies, Opole, with 282, and Lubuskie, with 329.
These figures have not been adjusted for population size and therefore do not show the actual incidence of consumer insolvency in each region.
Among individual cities, Warsaw recorded by far the highest number of bankruptcies, with 687 cases.
It was followed by Kraków with 356, Łódź with 327, Poznań with 258 and Bydgoszcz with 232.
More than 1,400 bankrupt consumers previously ran businesses
COIG also found that 1,424 people declared bankrupt had previously operated a business that had been closed no more than 12 months before the bankruptcy ruling.
Former entrepreneurs therefore accounted for approximately 11.6% of all consumer bankruptcies recorded during the first half of the year.
The largest group consisted of former owners of road freight transport businesses, with 139 cases.
Other frequently represented sectors included electrical installation services, retail, online sales, restaurants and catering, and construction.
COIG associated these cases with earlier business failures. However, registration data alone do not make it possible to conclude that the closure of a company was the sole or direct cause of the individual’s subsequent insolvency.
Easier access to debt relief increased the number of cases
From the beginning of 2015, when Poland significantly relaxed access to consumer bankruptcy, until the end of June 2026, a total of 149,214 people were declared bankrupt.
Another important reform entered into force on 24 March 2020.
The changes simplified access to bankruptcy proceedings. The assessment of the circumstances that led to a debtor’s insolvency was moved to a later stage and became relevant primarily when determining the conditions of debt relief and the duration of the repayment plan.
Consumer bankruptcy does not automatically cancel all outstanding debts.
Proceedings may involve the liquidation of the debtor’s assets and the establishment of a repayment plan based on their earning capacity and reasonable living expenses.
Only after the conditions imposed during the proceedings have been fulfilled can the remaining portion of eligible debt be discharged.
The rising number of cases reflects both the scale of repayment difficulties facing Polish households and the increasingly widespread use of consumer bankruptcy as a legal mechanism for restructuring personal finances.
The data for the first six months suggest that 2026 could end with the highest annual number of consumer bankruptcy proceedings recorded in Poland to date.
