Private Bankruptcies in Austria

Personal bankruptcy offers over-indebted individuals the opportunity of residual debt discharge. From 1995 to the end of 2021, a total of around 197,000 private bankruptcy petitions were filed in Austria. The annual number of filings rose steadily until the end of the 2000s. Since then, larger jumps in case numbers can be observed, especially in connection with private bankruptcy reforms and other changes in the policy framework, such as in the COVID-19 crisis. The analysis also shows correlations with economic activity and population density, with bankruptcy rates being particularly high in urban areas. However, more in-depth analyses are needed to examine detailed causal relationships as well as the impact of recent inflation dynamics.