Credit card debt in the United States has been growing at a fast pace between 2021 and 2025. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the overall amount of credit card debt reached its highest value throughout the timeline considered here. COVID-19 had a big impact on the indebtedness of Americans, as credit card debt decreased from *** billion U.S. dollars in the last quarter of 2019 to *** billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2021. What portion of Americans use credit cards? A substantial portion of Americans had at least one credit card in 2025. That year, the penetration rate of credit cards in the United States was ** percent. This number increased by nearly seven percentage points since 2014. The primary factors behind the high utilization of credit cards in the United States are a prevalent culture of convenience, a wide range of reward schemes, and consumer preferences for postponed payments. Which companies dominate the credit card issuing market? In 2024, the leading credit card issuers in the U.S. by volume were JPMorgan Chase & Co. and American Express. Both firms recorded transactions worth over one trillion U.S. dollars that year. Citi and Capital One were the next banks in that ranking, with the transactions made with their credit cards amounting to over half a trillion U.S. dollars that year. Those industry giants, along with other prominent brand names in the industry such as Bank of America, Synchrony Financial, Wells Fargo, and others, dominate the credit card market. Due to their extensive customer base, appealing rewards, and competitive offerings, they have gained a significant market share, making them the preferred choice for consumers.

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.

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.

Key information about United States Household Debt

• United States Household Debt reached 18,036.0 USD bn in Dec 2024, compared with the reported number of 17,943.0 USD bn in the previous quarter
• US Household Debt: USD mn data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1999 to Dec 2024
• The data reached an all-time high of 18,036.0 USD bn in Dec 2024 and a record low of 4,540.0 USD bn in Mar 1999

Federal Reserve Board of New York provides quarterly Household Debt in USD. Household Debt includes Mortgages, Home Equity Revolving, Auto Loans, Bankcards, Student Loans and Others.


Further information about United States Household Debt

• In the latest reports, United States Household Debt accounted for 61.7 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024
• Money Supply M2 in United States increased 21,533.8 USD bn YoY in Dec 2024
• United States Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 34.9 USD bn in Dec 2024
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 0.1 Months of Import in Dec 2024
• United States Domestic Credit reached 30,648.3 USD bn in Mar 2024, representing an drop of 0.3 % YoY

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Loans: Credit Cards and Other Revolving Plans, All Commercial Banks (CCLACBW027SBOG) from 2000-06-28 to 2025-06-11 about revolving, credit cards, loans, consumer, banks, depository institutions, and USA.

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.

Debt Balance Credit Cards in the United States decreased to 1.18 Trillion USD in the first quarter of 2025 from 1.21 Trillion USD in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United States Debt Balance Credit Cards.

Graph and download economic data for Household Debt Service Payments as a Percent of Disposable Personal Income (TDSP) from Q1 1980 to Q4 2024 about disposable, payments, debt, personal income, percent, personal, households, services, income, and USA.

Key information about China Household Debt

• China Household Debt reached 11,498.4 USD bn in Jan 2025, compared with the reported number of 11,347.6 USD bn in the previous month
• China Household Debt: USD mn data is updated monthly, available from Jan 2007 to Jan 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 11,691.0 USD bn in Sep 2024 and a record low of 517.7 USD bn in Jan 2007

CEIC converts monthly Household Debt into USD. The People's Bank of China provides Household Debt in local currency. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Loans are used due to the lack of Flow of Funds statistics.


Further information about China Household Debt

• In the latest reports, China Household Debt accounted for 63.3 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Mar 2023
• Money Supply M2 in China increased 44,045.8 USD bn YoY in Sep 2024
• China Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 3,209.0 USD bn in Jan 2025
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 13.9 Months of Import in Dec 2024
• China Domestic Credit reached 49,338.1 USD bn in Jan 2025, representing an increased of 7.9 % YoY

Guyana: Credit card debt balance per capita, U.S. dollars: The latest value from is U.S. dollars, unavailable from U.S. dollars in . In comparison, the world average is 0 U.S. dollars, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for Guyana from to is U.S. dollars. The minimum value, U.S. dollars, was reached in while the maximum of U.S. dollars was recorded in .

Brazil Loans: Consumer Default: Average Debt per Individual Registration: Value data was reported at 3,901.576 BRL in Apr 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3,928.903 BRL for Mar 2019. Brazil Loans: Consumer Default: Average Debt per Individual Registration: Value data is updated monthly, averaging 4,434.518 BRL from Mar 2016 (Median) to Apr 2019, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,542.206 BRL in Mar 2017 and a record low of 3,842.621 BRL in Oct 2018. Brazil Loans: Consumer Default: Average Debt per Individual Registration: Value data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Serasa Experian. The data is categorized under Brazil Premium Database’s Monetary – Table BR.KAB034: Loans: Consumer Default.

This dataset provides values for HOUSEHOLDS DEBT TO INCOME reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

The Comoros: Credit card debt balance per capita, U.S. dollars: The latest value from is U.S. dollars, unavailable from U.S. dollars in . In comparison, the world average is 0 U.S. dollars, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for the Comoros from to is U.S. dollars. The minimum value, U.S. dollars, was reached in while the maximum of U.S. dollars was recorded in .

Chad: Credit card debt balance per capita, U.S. dollars: The latest value from is U.S. dollars, unavailable from U.S. dollars in . In comparison, the world average is 0 U.S. dollars, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for Chad from to is U.S. dollars. The minimum value, U.S. dollars, was reached in while the maximum of U.S. dollars was recorded in .

Belgium Consumer Credit: Outstanding Amount data was reported at 27,955.000 EUR mn in Jun 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 27,704.000 EUR mn for Dec 2022. Belgium Consumer Credit: Outstanding Amount data is updated semiannually, averaging 13,231.000 EUR mn from Jun 1980 (Median) to Jun 2023, with 87 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 27,955.000 EUR mn in Jun 2023 and a record low of 3,825.000 EUR mn in Jun 1982. Belgium Consumer Credit: Outstanding Amount data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bank of Belgium. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Belgium – Table BE.KA010: Payment Systems and Instruments: Consumer Credit. Until 1993, excluding payments; from 1994 onwards, including the claims which are recorded under the item 'doubtful debtors' under creditors, but excluding transfers to credit insurance companies.

Ireland: Credit card debt balance per capita, U.S. dollars: The latest value from is U.S. dollars, unavailable from U.S. dollars in . In comparison, the world average is 0 U.S. dollars, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for Ireland from to is U.S. dollars. The minimum value, U.S. dollars, was reached in while the maximum of U.S. dollars was recorded in .

The Republic of the Congo: Credit card debt balance per capita, U.S. dollars: The latest value from is U.S. dollars, unavailable from U.S. dollars in . In comparison, the world average is 0 U.S. dollars, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for the Republic of the Congo from to is U.S. dollars. The minimum value, U.S. dollars, was reached in while the maximum of U.S. dollars was recorded in .

In the first half of 2024, Trentino-South Tyrol was the most indebted region in Italy. The inhabitants of this region had an average debt of over 52,000 euros per capita. By contrast, the region with the lowest private debt per capita was Calabria, with an average debt per capita of roughly 22,000 euros.

Clients seeking financial advice from the debt charity StepChange in the United Kingdom had on average approximately 8,000 British pounds of unsecured credit card debt in 2022. On average, the new clients of this charity owed more unsecured debt from personal loans than from any other type of credit.

The average credit card purchase value in the United Kingdom was over 60 British pounds as of February 2025. This was slightly higher than in the same month of the previous year but lower than in January 2023, when it reached an all-time high, with each individual credit card transaction averaging 63.6 British pounds. This contrasted with April 2020, when coronavirus measures caused the average credit card value to decline. However, the total credit card debt in the UK in February 2025 grew by more than four percent year-on-year.