The number of freelancers and natural persons who presented themselves to the creditors in 2024 – the legal procedure that originates after insolvency and that covers situations of bankruptcy and suspension of payments – has doubled in the last year. Specifically, the number of self -employed workers who have had to go to this legal resource increased by 120% in 2024. The total figure reached up to 35,510 competitions as reported this morning the Registry of Forensic Economists (Reinforce), a specialized body of the General Council of Economists of Spain in the field of insolvencies. The increase, according to economists, “is due to the improvements introduced in the second chance mechanism.”

The reinforce has analyzed the bankruptcy procedural statistics corresponding to the fourth quarter of 2024 and published by the College of Registrars of Spain on February 10 and has calculated the annual total. Thus, in view of the analyzed data, they observe that since 2019 there has been a change in terms of the type of bankrupt that holds the greatest weight. In 2019 and 2020, companies registered a greater number of creditors competitions than self -employed workers. However, since 2021 the weights of the balance have changed, and now it is the self -employed and the natural persons who far exceed companies and accumulate the greatest proportion. In fact, of the 41,099 competitions of 2024, 35.510 were of more autonomous natural persons (86% of the total), compared to the 5,589 corresponding to companies (the remaining 14%).

In addition, the growth in the number of freelancers who have come to this legal resource has experienced accelerated growth. While companies have grown by 38% between 2019 and 2024, those of self -employed workers have increased almost 1,300%. In other words, the year -on -year growth rate for companies is 23%.

With the analysis, the economists of the reinforce intend to evaluate the incidence of the pandemic and the recovery of it in the insolvencies.

They take too long to solve insolvency

Another aspect that they have shown from the reinforce is the one related to the increase in year -on -year rate at the end of 2024 of the mass without mass – a procedural type for companies with an important over -indebtedness, without assets to deal with a contest and with which it is avoided that responsibilities are derived from the administrators of the company, called contests previously express to the reform of 2022–, which pass from being 15.693 in 2023 (76% of the total contests in that year) to 34,158 in 2024 (83% of the total competitions of 2024).

For the president of the General Council of Economists, Valentín Pich, “the remarkable increase of this type of contest without mass reflects that more and more companies come to solve their insolvency too late, when their degree of indebtedness does not support financing alternatives, which prevents preserving the principle of operation in operation, with the consequences in the destruction of employment that could be taken away.”

Less restructuring plans

Another procedure analyzed by the reinforce has been the one related to the evolution of restructuring plans, a mechanism that does not end up taking off in our country, and that, according to economists, is essential for the early resolution of insolvencies. Thus, in 2024, with 334, restructuring plans decrease by 2% compared to 341 of 2023. However, in January 2025 they already increased by 7% (according to D&B reports). In this sense, from the CGE they defend that the use of restructuring plans in the search for an earlier pre -conclusion solution of insolvency is promoted and normalized, both for large companies and for SMEs.

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Autonomous creditors competitions double in 2024