In the United States, interest rates for all mortgage types started to increase in 2021. This was due to the Federal Reserve introducing a series of hikes in the federal funds rate to contain the rising inflation. In the first quarter of 2024, the 30-year fixed rate declined slightly, to 6.75 percent. Despite the cut, this was about 3.9 percentage points higher than the same quarter in 2021. Why have U.S. home sales decreased? Cheaper mortgages normally encourage consumers to buy homes, while higher borrowing costs have the opposite effect. As interest rates increased in 2022, the number of existing homes sold plummeted. Soaring house prices over the past 10 years have further affected housing affordability. Between 2013 and 2023, the median price of an existing single-family home risen by about 88 percent. On the other hand, the median weekly earnings have risen much slower. Comparing mortgage terms and rates Between 2008 and 2023, the average rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage in the United States stood between 2.28 and 6.11 percent. Over the same period, a 30-year mortgage term averaged a fixed-rate of between 3.08 and 6.81 percent. Rates on 15-year loan terms are lower to encourage a quicker repayment, which helps to improve a homeowner’s equity.

Mortgage rates increased at a record pace in 2022, with the 10-year fixed mortgage rate doubling between March 2022 and December 2022. With inflation increasing, the Bank of England introduced several bank rate hikes, resulting in higher mortgage rates. In September 2023, the average 10-year fixed rate interest rate reached 5.1 percent. As borrowing costs get higher, demand for housing is expected to decrease, leading to declining market sentiment and slower house price growth. How have the mortgage hikes affected the market? After surging in 2021, the number of residential properties sold declined in 2022, reaching close to 1.3 million. Despite the number of transactions falling, this figure was higher than the period before the COVID-10 pandemic. The falling transaction volume also impacted mortgage borrowing. Between the first quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, the value of new mortgage loans fell year-on-year for fourth straight quarters in a row. How are higher mortgages affecting homebuyers? Homeowners with a mortgage loan usually lock in a fixed rate deal for two to ten years, meaning that after this period runs out, they need to renegotiate the terms of the loan. Many of the mortgages outstanding were taken out during the period of record-low mortgage rates and have since faced notable increases in their monthly repayment. About five million homeowners are projected to see their deal expire by the end of 2026. About two million of these loans are projected to experience a monthly payment increase of up to 199 British pounds by 2026.

Mortgage interest rates worldwide varied greatly in 2024, from less than four percent in many European countries, to as high as 44 percent in Turkey. The average mortgage rate in a country depends on the central bank's base lending rate and macroeconomic indicators such as inflation and forecast economic growth. Since 2022, inflationary pressures have led to rapid increase in mortgage interest rates. Which are the leading mortgage markets? An easy way to estimate the importance of the mortgage sector in each country is by comparing household debt depth, or the ratio of the debt held by households compared to the county's GDP. In 2023, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada had some of the highest household debt to GDP ratios worldwide. While this indicator shows the size of the sector relative to the country’s economy, the value of mortgages outstanding allows to compare the market size in different countries. In Europe, for instance, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France were the largest mortgage markets by outstanding mortgage lending. Mortgage lending trends in the U.S. In the United States, new mortgage lending soared in 2021. This was largely due to the growth of new refinance loans that allow homeowners to renegotiate their mortgage terms and replace their existing loan with a more favorable one. Following the rise in interest rates, the mortgage market cooled, and refinance loans declined.

Fixed 30-year mortgage rates in the United States averaged 6.71 percent in the week ending March 21 of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States MBA 30-Yr Mortgage Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for 15-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States (MORTGAGE15US) from 1991-08-30 to 2025-03-20 about 15-year, fixed, mortgage, interest rate, interest, rate, and USA.

Long term dataset showing the 30 year fixed rate mortgage average in the United States since 1971.

United States Mortgage Fixed Rate: Mth Avg: 15 Year data was reported at 4.250 % pa in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.080 % pa for Sep 2018. United States Mortgage Fixed Rate: Mth Avg: 15 Year data is updated monthly, averaging 5.680 % pa from Sep 1991 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 326 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.800 % pa in Jan 1995 and a record low of 2.660 % pa in Apr 2013. United States Mortgage Fixed Rate: Mth Avg: 15 Year data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Freddie Mac. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.M012: Mortgage Interest Rate.

The average mortgage interest rate decreased in nearly every country in Europe between 2012 and 2021, followed by an increase in response to inflation. In Hungary, Poland, Czechia, and Romania, mortgage rates peaked in late 2022 and the beginning of 2023, followed by a gradual decline until the first quarter of 2024. The rest of the countries under observation, including the biggest mortgage markets - the UK and Germany, saw a continued increase in interest rates until the fourth quarter of 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, mortgage interest rates declined quarter-on-quarter across almost all markets in focus, marking a long awaited easing of monetary policy.

After a period of record-low mortgage interest rates, the cost of mortgage borrowing in Germany surged in 2022. In 2019, mortgage rates declined notably, falling as low as 1.16 percent in December 2020. This downward trend reversed in 2021, as mortgage rates started to gradually pick up. Five-to-ten-year mortgage loans had the lowest rates in October 2023 at 3.85 percent, while floating rate mortgages up to one year were the most expensive at 5.53 percent. Mortgages with over 10-year fixed period – the most popular loan type among homebuyers - had an interest rate of 3.9 percent.

Why did mortgage rates in Germany increase?

In 2022, the yearly inflation rate in Germany experienced a swift rise, prompting the central bank to raise interest rates to counter this surge. The European Central Bank (ECB) is responsible for determining Germany's central bank interest rate. In July 2022, following a prolonged period of stability, the average interest rates in Germany began a steady rise, which persisted consistently thereafter.  This increase is intended to stabilize prices, but it also means higher borrowing costs for those seeking mortgages.

Downturn in Germany's home loan borrowing

From 2022 onward, the gross residential mortgage lending in Germany fell dramatically. Besides the higher interest rates, the downturn can be explained by the slowed pace of economic growth, which makes individuals and businesses more cautious about big investments such as buying a home. Additionally, the German housing market suffers a chronic undersupply, meaning that homebuyers often struggle to find an affordable home to purchase.

Exploiting variation in the timing of resets of adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs), we find that a sizable decline in mortgage payments (up to 50 percent) induces a significant increase in car purchases (up to 35 percent). This effect is attenuated by voluntary deleveraging. Borrowers with lower incomes and housing wealth have significantly higher marginal propensity to consume. Areas with a larger share of ARMs were more responsive to lower interest rates and saw a relative decline in defaults and an increase in house prices, car purchases, and employment. Household balance sheets and mortgage contract rigidity are important for monetary policy pass-through.

Mortgage interest rates in Europe soared in 2022 and remained elevated in 2023. In many countries, this resulted in interest rates more than doubling. In Denmark, the average mortgage interest rate rose from 0.67 percent in 2021 to 4.98 percent in 2023. Why did mortgage interest rates increase? Mortgage rates have risen as a result of the European Central Bank (ECB) interest rate increase. The ECB increased its interest rates to tackle inflation. As inflation calms, the ECB is expected to cut rates, which will allow mortgage lenders to reduce mortgage interest rates. What is the impact of interest rates on homebuying? Lower interest rates make taking out a housing loan more affordable, and thus, encourage homebuying. That can be seen in many countries across Europe: In France, the number of residential properties sold rose in the years leading up to 2021, and fell as interest rates increased. The number of houses sold in the UK followed a similar trend.

The Brazil Home Loan Market is segmented By Source (Bank and Housing Finance Companies), By Interest Rate (Fixed Rate and Floating Rate), and By Tenure (Up to 5 Years, 6 - 10 Years, 11 - 24 Years, and 25 - 30 Years). The report offers market size and forecasts in value (USD) for all the above segments.

The benchmark interest rate in Sweden was last recorded at 2.25 percent. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Sweden Interest Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

United States Mortgage Adjustable Rate: Wk Ending: 5 Year: Margin data was reported at 2.770 % pa in 29 Nov 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.760 % pa for 22 Nov 2018. United States Mortgage Adjustable Rate: Wk Ending: 5 Year: Margin data is updated weekly, averaging 2.740 % pa from Jan 2005 (Median) to 29 Nov 2018, with 726 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.800 % pa in 04 May 2006 and a record low of 0.740 % pa in 19 Apr 2012. United States Mortgage Adjustable Rate: Wk Ending: 5 Year: Margin data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Freddie Mac. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.M012: Mortgage Interest Rate.

United States Mortgage Fixed Rate: Mth Avg: 30 Year data was reported at 4.870 % pa in Nov 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.830 % pa for Oct 2018. United States Mortgage Fixed Rate: Mth Avg: 30 Year data is updated monthly, averaging 7.635 % pa from Apr 1971 (Median) to Nov 2018, with 572 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.450 % pa in Oct 1981 and a record low of 3.350 % pa in Dec 2012. United States Mortgage Fixed Rate: Mth Avg: 30 Year data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Freddie Mac. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.M012: Mortgage Interest Rate.

Mortgage originations in the United States plummeted in 2021 and 2022, after soaring to an all-time high in the previous two years. By the third quarter of 2023, the value of new mortgage originations amounted to 444 billion U.S. dollars, about a third of the value recorded during the market peak in the fourth quarter of 2020. These fluctuations were mostly because of the development of mortgage interest rates and mortgage lending for home refinance: While interest rates were at a record low in 2020, many homebuyers used the opportunity to refinance their loan. After rates increased, refinancing declined dramatically. How have home sales developed? Over the past decade, the annual number of homes sold in the U.S. ranged between 4.7 million and 6.9 million, with the number of sales of existing homes far outweighing that of newly built homes sold. Housing transactions have generally declined since 2021 because of the less favorable credit conditions and worsening housing affordability. Cash purchases on the rise Although buying in cash is largely uncommon in the U.S., the number of houses bought with cash has increased since 2009. For those who can afford it, a cash purchase provides a number of benefits. Most importantly, cash buyers save from mortgage payments. Additionally, the closing time on these transactions time faster, which gives a competitive advantage in markets with a lot of competition.

The benchmark interest rate in Norway was last recorded at 4.50 percent. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Norway Interest Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Mortgage credit interest rate, percent in Paraguay, September, 2024 The most recent value is 9.71 percent as of September 2024, an increase compared to the previous value of 9.51 percent. Historically, the average for Paraguay from January 2003 to September 2024 is 15.02 percent. The minimum of 7.45 percent was recorded in July 2005, while the maximum of 45.97 percent was reached in January 2003. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

Graph and download economic data for Households and Nonprofit Organizations; One-to-Four-Family Residential Mortgages; Liability, Growth Rate (BOGZ1FG153165105Q) from Q4 1946 to Q4 2024 about nonprofit organizations, mortgage, liabilities, households, housing, and USA.

Mortgage Application in the United States decreased by 2 percent in the week ending March 21 of 2025 over the previous week. This dataset provides - United States MBA Mortgage Applications - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.