Clients seeking financial advice from the debt charity StepChange in the United Kingdom had on average approximately ***** 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.

In 2025, students graduating from English universities will have incurred an average of 53,000 British pounds of student loan debt, compared with 39,000 pounds in Wales, 28,000 pounds in Northern Ireland, and around 18,000 pounds in Scotland.

In the 4th quarter of 2024, the debt of households in the United Kingdom amounted to ***** percent of their income. This indicator shows the average level of indebtedness of the general population and their ability to repay their debts. The total value of household debt (total liabilities and loans to households) has increased annually since 2000. Debt to income ratio increased during the pandemic As we have seen here, households have been decreasing their indebtedness levels in the past years. However, the volume of new consumer lending actually soared between 2022 and 2024. Meanwhile, the growth rate of mortgages in the UK has remained lower these past years, but it has also shown an increase on amount of lending.

Indebtedness in Europe The household debt of many countries in Europe as a share of their disposable income in 2024 was over 100 percent. That was mostly the case for Northern and Western European countries, such as Norway, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Germany and Austria were some of the largest exceptions, as they were among the few countries in that part of Europe with households' debt representing less than ** percent of their income.

The UK's average credit card debt per household grew by *** British pounds between December 2021 and December 2022, the first increase since 2020. Standing at ***** British pounds at December 2022, the figure contrasts with the decline in 2020 – when the debt declined from ***** British pounds to ***** British pounds. That particular drop was likely a result of Covid-19's economic impact, and consumers trying to get rid of their credit card debt. The increase in 2022 may be caused by growing interest rates and the cost of living crisis beginning to take shape.

Households Debt in the United Kingdom decreased to 76.30 percent of GDP in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 77.20 percent of GDP in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - United Kingdom Households Debt To Gdp- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In the first half of 2024, the total value of debt from loans to households in the United Kingdom amounted to approximately two trillion British pounds. It was in 2004, when household debt surpassed the one trillion British pounds mark. Debts can be formed in a number of ways. The most common forms of debt for households include credit cards, medical debt, student loans, overdrafts, mortgages, automobile financing and personal loans.

Household debt to GDP, in percent in the United Kingdom, December, 2024 The most recent value is 76.3 percent as of December 2024, a decline compared to the previous value of 77.2 percent. Historically, the average for the United Kingdom from March 1999 to December 2024 is 84.88 percent. The minimum of 60.6 percent was recorded in March 1999, while the maximum of 98.2 percent was reached in March 2010. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

The value of debt per adult in the United Kingdom (UK) fluctuated between 2010 and 2021, peaking at roughly **** thousand U.S. dollars in 2013. As of 2021, the average debt per adult in the UK reached a value of ****** U.S. dollars.

Key information about United Kingdom Private Debt: % of Nominal GDP

• United Kingdom Private Debt accounted for 113.96 % of its Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with a ratio of 116.11 % in the previous quarter
• UK Private Debt contribution to Nominal GDP ratio is updated quarterly, available from Jun 1998 to Dec 2024, with an average share of 135.26 %
• The data reached an all-time high of 203.16 % in Mar 2010 and a record low of 101.90 % in Dec 1998

CEIC calculates quarterly Private Debt as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Private Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. Private Debt is calculated as the sum of Private Loans and Private Securities in GBP and Foreign Currency. The Bank of England provides Private Debt in local currency. Office for National Statistics provides Nominal GDP in local currency. Private Debt includes Financial Sector.

United Kingdom UK: Central Government Debt: Total: % of GDP data was reported at 116.856 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 106.728 % for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Central Government Debt: Total: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 44.132 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 116.856 % in 2016 and a record low of 29.195 % in 1991. United Kingdom UK: Central Government Debt: Total: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Government Revenue, Expenditure and Finance. Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year.; ; International Monetary Fund, Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, and World Bank and OECD GDP estimates.; Weighted average;

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

Data on average personal wellbeing scores of the adult population in Great Britain from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, broken down by responses to financial well-being questions.

The United Kingdom: Government debt as percent of GDP: The latest value from 2023 is 100.6 percent, an increase from 99.42 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 61.85 percent, based on data from 137 countries. Historically, the average for the United Kingdom from 1974 to 2023 is 55.6 percent. The minimum value, 27.72 percent, was reached in 1990 while the maximum of 107.64 percent was recorded in 2020.

The average credit card purchase value in the United Kingdom was over ** British pounds as of April 2025. This was slightly lower than in the same month of the previous year and lower than in January 2023, when it reached an all-time high, with each individual credit card transaction averaging **** 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 April 2025 grew almost six percent year-on-year.

United Kingdom Weekly Household Exp: Avg: Oth: Pay Off Loan To Clear Other Debt data was reported at 2.000 GBP in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.900 GBP for 2015. United Kingdom Weekly Household Exp: Avg: Oth: Pay Off Loan To Clear Other Debt data is updated yearly, averaging 2.300 GBP from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2016, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.000 GBP in 2012 and a record low of 1.900 GBP in 2015. United Kingdom Weekly Household Exp: Avg: Oth: Pay Off Loan To Clear Other Debt data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.H023: Average Weekly Household Expenditure.

Underlying data from annex B for the report that uses data from the YouGov DebtTrack surveys to update trend information about credit use and the extent of consumer indebtedness in Britain. The analysis suggests a continued decrease in the proportion of households using unsecured credit, but little change in the average amount of unsecured debt among credit users. The data also indicated a decline in the incidence of financial difficulty.

Key information about United Kingdom Non Performing Loans Ratio

• United Kingdom Non Performing Loans Ratio stood at 1.0 % in Dec 2022, compared with the ratio of 1.0 % in the previous year
• UK Non Performing Loans Ratio data is updated yearly, available from Dec 2005 to Dec 2022
• The data reached an all-time high of 4.0 % in Dec 2011 and a record low of 1.0 % in Dec 2021

The International Monetary Fund provides annual Non Performing Loans Ratio.


Further information about United Kingdom Non Performing Loans Ratio

• In the latest reports, Money Supply M2 in UK increased 0.7 % YoY in May 2023
• UK Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 116.0 USD bn in May 2023
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 1.9 Months of Import in Apr 2023
• The country's Domestic Credit reached 4,978.3 USD bn in Apr 2023, representing an drop of 3.3 % YoY
• Household Debt of UK reached 2,756.4 USD bn in Mar 2023, accounting for 88.0 % of the country's Nominal GDP

Daily, weekly and monthly data showing seasonally adjusted and non-seasonally adjusted UK spending using debit and credit cards. These are official statistics in development. Source: CHAPS, Bank of England.