Puerto Rico bankruptcies rose 4% in 2025, report shows
Puerto Rico recorded 5,939 bankruptcy petitions in 2025, a 4% increase from the prior year, according to a statistical report by research firm Boletín de Puerto Rico.
Filings edged higher toward the end of the year. In December alone, 472 petitions were filed, reflecting what the report described as “the behavior of the end of the year with a slight increase of 0.9%.”
Personal bankruptcies accounted for most filings, totaling 5,461 cases in 2025. Commercial bankruptcies reached 478 cases, marking a sharp 39.3% increase from the 331 filings recorded in 2024.
By chapter, Chapter 13 cases continued to dominate. The report counted 3,811 Chapter 13 filings, representing 65% of all cases, compared with 2,057 Chapter 7 filings, or 35%.
Total debt reported in bankruptcy filings reached $819.3 million in 2025, a 2.7% decline from the previous year. Unsecured debt made up the largest share at $429.8 million, followed by secured debt at $348.3 million. Priority debt totaled $23.6 million, while $17.5 million was classified as unspecified.
Commercial bankruptcies were spread across 20 business categories, with restaurants leading the list, followed by beauty salons, automotive repair services, construction firms and real estate businesses. Restaurants alone accounted for 24 commercial filings during the year.
Geographically, commercial cases were most concentrated in San Juan, Carolina, Bayamón, Guaynabo and Caguas. San Juan also led all municipalities in total bankruptcy filings, including both personal and commercial cases, followed by Bayamón and Carolina.
The report noted that several smaller and midsize municipalities — including Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Vega Baja, Trujillo Alto and Yauco — recorded relatively high filing volumes when adjusted for population.
Average debt levels varied widely by case type. Commercial bankruptcies averaged about $665,000 per filing, while personal cases averaged roughly $94,000.
According to the bulletin, individual commercial cases filed in 2025 reported debts ranging from $2 million to nearly $39.7 million.
