The generation X was the group of people with the highest average credit card balance in the United States in 2023. That year, the average credit card debt of the generation Z amounted to approximately 3,260 U.S. dollars. People in the silent generation had a credit card balance of roughly 3,410 U.S. dollars.

This statistic presents the average credit card debt of Americans in 2017, by income. In that year, the credit card debt of Americans who earned more than 160 thousand U.S. dollars amounted to 11,200 U.S. dollars.

The average consumer debt balance in the United States has peaked in 2023 at roughly 104,200 U.S. dollars. However, average consumer debt had decreased between 2010 and 2013, when it reached approximately 85,500 U.S. dollars. Here, consumer debt refers to student and car loans, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, and other types of debt.

The average amount of non-mortgage debt held by consumers in the United States has been falling steadily during the past years, amounting to 21,800 U.S. dollars in 2023. While respondents had 38,000 U.S. dollars of debt in 2018, that volume decreased to 29,803 U.S. dollars in 2019, which constituted the largest year-over-year decrease.

What age groups are more indebted in the U.S.? The age group with the highest level of consumer debt in the U.S. was belonging to the Generation X with approximately 154,700 U.S. dollars of debt in 2022. The next generations with high consumer debt levels were baby boomers and millennials, whose debt levels were similar. In comparison, credit card debt is more equally distributed across all ages. There is an exception among people under 35 years old, who are significantly less burdened with credit card debt. However, most consumers expect to get rid of their debt in the short term.

College expenses as a source of debt Educational expenses were not among the leading sources of debt among consumers in the U.S. in 2022. Instead, they made up about ten percent of the total. However, around 39 percent of undergraduates from lower-income families had student loans, while over a fifth of undergraduates from higher-income families had student loans. Independently of how they cover these expenses, the confidence of students and parents about being able to pay these college costs was high in most cases.

While interest rates in the United States declined three times by late 2024, average credit card interest rates did not immediately follow suit. This reveals itself when comparing the Federal Reserve interest rate against the APR, or annual percentage rates, of credit cards issued by commercial banks. The APR reached a record high in the country in 2024, likely adding to the growing credit card debt in the United States. This was below the APR of credit cards in a country like Brazil, however. It is expected that the credit card interest rates will continue to need time to catch up with the Fed interest rate.

Delinquency rates for credit cards picked up in 2024 in the United States, leading to the highest rates observed since 2008. This is according to a collection of one of the United States' federal banks across all commercial banks. The high delinquency rates were joined by the highest U.S. credit card charge-off rates since the Financial Crisis of 2008. Delinquency rates, or the share of credit card loans overdue a payment for more than 60 days, can sometimes lead into charge-off, or a writing off of the loan, after about six to 12 months. These figures on the share of credit card balances that are overdue developed significantly between 2021 and 2024: Delinquencies were at their lowest point in 2021 but increased to one of their highest points by 2024. This is reflected in the growing credit card debt in the United States, which reached an all-time high in 2023.

In 2023, 968 billion U.S. dollars worth of student loans were in forebearance in the United States. This is due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, where the government paused repayment of student loans and froze the accumulation of interest. This is compared to 112 billion U.S. dollars worth of student loans that were in default. As of the fourth quarter of 2022, outstanding student loan debt in the U.S. was valued at approximately 1.76 trillion U.S. dollars.

Layers represented in this map are, Claims on governments and other public entities (current LCU), Claims on private sector (annual growth as % of M2), Money and quasi money growth (annual %), Money and quasi money (M2) to total reserves ratio, money (Current LCU)Claims on Governments and Other Public Entities: Claims on governments and other public entities (IFS line 32an + 32b + 32bx + 32c) usually comprise direct credit for specific purposes such as financing of the government budget deficit or loans to state enterprises, advances against future credit authorizations, and purchases of treasury bills and bonds, net of deposits by the public sector. Public sector deposits with the banking system also include sinking funds for the service of debt and temporary deposits of government revenues. Data are in current local currency. Data from 1965 – 2008.Claims on Private Sector: Claims on private sector (IFS line 32d) include gross credit from the financial system to individuals, enterprises, nonfinancial public entities not included under net domestic credit, and financial institutions not included elsewhere. Money and quasi money (M2) comprise the sum of currency outside banks, demand deposits other than those of the central government, and the time, savings, and foreign currency deposits of resident sectors other than the central government. Data from 1967 – 2008.Money and Quasi Money, Annual Growth Percentage: Average annual growth rate in money and quasi money. Money and quasi money comprise the sum of currency outside banks, demand deposits other than those of the central government, and the time, savings, and foreign currency deposits of resident sectors other than the central government. This definition is frequently called M2; it corresponds to lines 34 and 35 in the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) International Financial Statistics (IFS). The change in the money supply is measured as the difference in end-of-year totals relative to the level of M2 in the preceding year. Data from 1966 – 2008.Money and Quasi Money, M2 to Total Reserves Ratio: Money and quasi money comprise the sum of currency outside banks, demand deposits other than those of the central government, and the time, savings, and foreign currency deposits of resident sectors other than the central government. This definition is frequently called M2; it corresponds to lines 34 and 35 in the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) International Financial Statistics (IFS). Total reserves comprise holdings of monetary gold, special drawing rights, reserves of IMF members held by the IMF, and holdings of foreign exchange under the control of monetary authorities. The gold component of these reserves is valued at year-end (December 31) London prices. Data from 1966 – 2008.Money Current LCU: Money is the sum of currency outside banks and demand deposits other than those of central government. This series, frequently referred to as M1 is a narrower definition of money than M2. Data are in current local currency. Data from 1965 – 2008.Quasi-Liquid Liabilities: Quasi-liquid liabilities are the sum of currency and deposits in the central bank (M0), plus time and savings deposits, foreign currency transferable deposits, certificates of deposit, and securities repurchase agreements, plus travelers checks, foreign currency time deposits, commercial paper, and shares of mutual funds or market funds held by residents. They equal the M3 money supply less transferable deposits and electronic currency (M1). Data from 1965 – 2008.

In the academic year of 2022/2023, 27.2 billion U.S. dollars was offered to students in the form of Federal Pell Grants. Altogether, 177 billion U.S. dollars worth of student aid were provided across the country.

Debts can be formed in a number of ways. The most common forms of debt include credit cards, medical debt, student loans, overdrafts, mortgages, automobile financing and personal loans. During the period displayed, the value of debt per adult in Germany fluctuated, with approximately 30.8 thousand U.S. dollars of debt per adult as of the first half of 2019. In Europe, the variation in debt per adult in the first half of 2019 varies considerably from as low as 534 U.S. dollars in Azerbaijan to almost 143 thousand U.S. dollars in Switzerland, with a European average of approximately 23.95 thousand U.S. dollars of debt per adult.

In the first quarter of 2024, household debt in the United States amounted to over 71 percent of its GDP. It can be generally observed that U.S. households are more indebted by the end of the year than in any other quarter. The debt of households peaked in the last quarter of 2020, reaching the highest value since 2013. Debt to GDP ratio As it can be observed here, the household debt to GDP ratio decreased overall in the recent years. The steady growth of the gross domestic product in the United States could be a factor explaining this tendency. If the volume of debt grows at a slower pace than the GDP, the debt to GDP ratio would decrease. In addition to that, the overall value of mortgage debt in the U.S., which is the most significant component of the household debt, decreased from 2012 to the third quarter of 2014, but it has rebounded since then. Public debt in the U.S. Public debt in the United States, which is the amount of money borrowed by the government to finance budget deficits, has been increasing almost every single year. Not only that, but according to that forecast it is also expected to keep increasing during the coming years. The major holders of American government debt, as of December 2022, were Federal Reserve and government accounts and foreign and international holders. The ratio of national debt to GDP of the United States was higher than that of other major economies, but lower than that of Japan. Some of the lowest debt to GDP ratios were observed in Hong Kong SAR, Kuwait, and Turkmenistan.

The value of revolving credit outstanding in the United States increased in most years between 1995 and 2023, albeit with some fluctuations. In 2023, the revolving credit outstanding in the United States amounted to just over a trillion U.S. dollars, decreasing from the roughly 1.08 trillion U.S. dollars reached in 2019. Revolving credit is a type of credit that does not have a fixed number of payments, in contrast to an installment credit. The most common examples of revolving credit used by consumers are credit cards, although some credit cards are non-revolving, i.e. require users to pay off the full balance at the end of each month.

This statistic displays the average amount of unpaid U.S. consumer debts that have gone into collection as of 2014, by creditor. During that year, medical debts among U.S. consumers averaged 579 U.S. dollars. Collections tradelines can negatively affect a consumer's credit score.

Unpaid U.S. consumer debts gone into collection

Among unpaid U.S. consumer debts that have gone into collection, automotive creditors and credit union creditors have accumulated some of the highest debts, averaging 5,587 U.S. dollars and 3,174 U.S. dollars, respectively. However, both of these debts only account for 0.1 percent of the collection tradelines of unpaid consumer debts in the country. Debts related to medical or health care accounted for over 52 percent of collection tradelines. About 30 percent of non-elderly adults in the country who had trouble paying medical bills were uninsured. However, many people covered by health insurance still have troubles paying for their medical bills. Medical debts can also arise when individuals have difficulty paying for their health insurance.

Complaints about medical debt collections are often due to debt that did not belong to the consumer and debt that was already paid, totaling 23 percent and 20 percent, respectively, which are the leading complaints among U.S. consumers. Total outstanding consumer credit in the United States has more than doubled from 1,287.6 billion U.S. dollars in 1997 to over three trillion U.S. dollars in 2013. Debt can lead to difficulties affording housing or other basic necessities, barriers to health care, and even bankruptcy.

In the third quarter of 2022, households in the United States had, on average, 41,400 U.S. dollars of mortgage debt. That was the biggest component of their personal debt burden. The value per capita of car and student loans was much lower, but still contributed more to the level of household indebtedness than credit cards or HE revolving.

Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway were among the European countries with most indebted households in 2023 and 2024. The debt of Dutch households amounted to 200 percent their disposable income in , as they had a ratio of over 180 percent in the second quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, Norwegian households' debt represented 233 percent of their income. However, households in most countries were less indebted, with that ratio amounting to 97 percent in the Euro area. Less indebtedness in Western and Northern Europe There were several European countries where household's debts outweighed their disposable income. Most of those countries were North or West European. However, the indebtedness ratio in Denmark has been decreasing during the past decade. As the debt of Danish households represented nearly 273 percent in the last quarter of 2014, which has fallen very significantly by 2024. Other countries with indebted households have been following similar trends. The households' debt-to-income ratio in the Netherlands has also fallen from over 275 percent in 2013 to 200 percent in 2024. Debt per adult in Europe In Europe, the value of debt per adult varies considerably from an average of around 10,000 U.S. dollars in Europe to a much higher level in certain countries such as Switzerland. Debts can be formed in a number of ways. The most common forms of debt include credit cards, medical debt, student loans, overdrafts, mortgages, automobile financing and personal loans.

The value of the debt per adult in Europe in 2022 varied a lot from country to country. While Swiss adults had on average over 151,600 U.S. dollars of debt in 2022, adults from Azerbaijan had a debt of 540 dollars. Meanwhile, the average volume of debt in Europe that year was almost 25,000 U.S. dollars per adult. The household debt to disposable income ratio in Europe follows a similarly varied distribution. As varied as the volume of debts in Europe are, the most common forms of debt are still very similar and they tend to include: credit cards, medical debt, student loans, overdrafts, mortgages, automobile financing and personal loans.

In the financial year 2024, India's household debt reached around 671 billion U.S. dollars, an increase from previous year's figures. India's household debt has witnessed an upward trend in the last decade. Household debt includes consumer durables, housing and other personal loans.

Debts can be formed in a number of ways. The most common forms of debt include credit cards, medical debt, student loans, overdrafts, mortgages, automobile financing and personal loans. During the period displayed, the value of debt per adult in Austria fluctuated, with 31.1 thousand U.S. dollars of debt per adult as of the first half of 2019. In Europe, the variation in debt per adult varies considerably from as low as 534 U.S. dollars in Azerbaijan to almost 143 thousand U.S. dollars in Switzerland, with a European average of approximately 23.95 thousand U.S. dollars of debt per adult.

Debts can be formed in a number of ways. The most common forms of debt include credit cards, medical debt, student loans, overdrafts, mortgages, automobile financing and personal loans. During the period displayed, the value of debt per adult in Estonia increased with fluctuation, with over 11.7 thousand U.S. dollars of debt per adult as of the first half of 2019. In Europe, the variation in debt per adult in the first half of 2019 varies considerably from as low as 534 U.S. dollars in Azerbaijan to almost 143 thousand U.S. dollars in Switzerland, with a European average of approximately 23.95 thousand U.S. dollars of debt per adult.

In the third quarter of 2024, roughly 2.73 percent of all consumer loans at commercial banks in the United States were delinquent. The delinquency rate on this type of credit has been rising again since 2021. Loans are delinquent when the borrower does not pay their obligations on time. One of the reasons for the delinquency rate decreasing during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic was that the personal saving rate in the U.S. soared during that period. What is the trend in consumer credit levels in the United States? Consumer credit refers to the various types of loans and credit extended to individuals for personal use, often to fund everyday purchases or larger expenses. When credit levels rise, it often signals that consumers are more confident in their ability to manage debt and make future payments. After a period of strong growth between 2021 and early 2023, consumer credit in the United States has been growing at a slower pace. By early 2024, consumer credit levels reached over five trillion U.S. dollars. What is the main channel for acquiring consumer credit? In 2024, the leading type of consumer credit among consumers in the U.S. was credit card bills. Credit card usage in the North American country was substantial and credit card penetration was expected to reach over 68.4 percent by 2029. Car loans ranked next as a common source of consumer credit, while other types of debt, such as medical bills, home equity lines of credit, and personal educational loans, had lower percentages.