360 Danish Construction Firms Entered Insolvency in 90 Days
Over 90 days, about 360 building and construction firms entered bankruptcy or compulsory dissolution. That is the largest cluster of any operating sector, and about one in eight of the 2,812 insolvencies in the period.
The numbers
| Trade | Insolvencies (90 days) |
|---|---|
| Carpentry and joinery | 147 |
| Building construction | 55 |
| Bricklaying | 37 |
| Plumbing, heating, ventilation | 27 |
| Painting | 25 |
| Electrical installation | 18 |
| Floor and wall covering | 17 |
| Roofing | 8 |
| Demolition | 8 |
Carpentry accounts for 147 cases, about 1% of the roughly 14,950 active carpentry firms in a single quarter. Building construction adds 55 cases, about 1.4% of its 3,962 active firms. The cases spread across the country, weighted toward Copenhagen (Copenhagen Ø 18, Copenhagen K 8) and Jutland towns such as Aalborg (9), Horsens (8), and Viborg (7).
What it means
Construction is one of Denmark's most bankruptcy-prone sectors. Statistics Denmark and the European Commission have named building and construction the most exposed field for years. Thin margins, project-based cash flow, and sensitivity to interest rates and material costs press on the trades. The last quarter follows the pattern.
The sector also renews itself. Erhvervsstyrelsen registered 199 new construction firms in the last 30 days, about 200 a month against roughly 120 insolvencies a month. Weak firms close, and new ones open. Forecasts for 2026 point to a recovery as interest rates ease and public construction investment rises.
Holding companies dominate the overall insolvency count, but most are dormant shells with no operations. Set them aside, and construction is the largest operating sector in distress.
Explore the data on Virkly
- Carpentry and joinery, about 14,950 active firms
- Building construction, 3,962 active firms
Method
The counts cover firms in bankruptcy or compulsory dissolution status whose register status changed within 90 days, grouped by primary industry code (NACE section F). Rates compare against firms in normal operating status. Deleted and anonymised records are excluded. Source: Danish Central Business Register (CVR), queried 3 June 2026.