GITNUXREPORT 2026

Collections Industry Statistics

The U.S. dominates the massive and growing global debt collection industry.

Sarah Mitchell

Senior Researcher specializing in consumer behavior and market trends.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

Our Commitment to Accuracy

Rigorous fact-checking · Reputable sources · Regular updatesLearn more

Statistic 1

Total U.S. consumer debt reached $17.5 trillion in Q3 2023.

Statistic 2

Credit card debt in the U.S. totaled $1.08 trillion in 2023.

Statistic 3

Medical debt affects 41% of Americans with debt in collections.

Statistic 4

U.S. student loan debt outstanding is $1.6 trillion as of 2023.

Statistic 5

Auto loan delinquencies rose to 4.04% in Q2 2023.

Statistic 6

Mortgage debt in the U.S. stands at $12.25 trillion in 2023.

Statistic 7

33 million Americans have debt in collections averaging $9,250.

Statistic 8

Personal loan debt volume grew 12% YoY to $225 billion in 2023.

Statistic 9

Payday loan debt totals $9 billion annually in the U.S.

Statistic 10

Commercial receivables placed for collection hit $250 billion in 2022.

Statistic 11

Healthcare debt placements up 15% in 2023.

Statistic 12

100 million+ Americans have past-due medical bills.

Statistic 13

Delinquent credit card accounts rose to 3.1% in 2023.

Statistic 14

Total non-mortgage consumer debt $5 trillion.

Statistic 15

$88 billion in medical debt on credit reports.

Statistic 16

Utility debt in collections averages $1,200 per account.

Statistic 17

Retail credit delinquencies at 5.2% Q3 2023.

Statistic 18

Buy now pay later debt $24 billion outstanding.

Statistic 19

The U.S. collections industry employs over 140,000 people.

Statistic 20

Debt collectors' average salary is $45,000 annually in the U.S.

Statistic 21

75% of collections workforce is in-house vs. third-party.

Statistic 22

Industry turnover rate is 45% annually.

Statistic 23

60% of collectors have less than 2 years experience.

Statistic 24

Collections jobs grew 2.5% from 2020-2023.

Statistic 25

Women comprise 55% of the U.S. collections workforce.

Statistic 26

Training costs average $2,500 per new collector.

Statistic 27

Remote work adopted by 40% of agencies post-COVID.

Statistic 28

Compliance officers make up 8% of staff in large agencies.

Statistic 29

Collections employment 312,000 FTEs globally.

Statistic 30

BLS projects 3% job growth to 2032.

Statistic 31

Average tenure 18 months for collectors.

Statistic 32

30% of staff trained in AI tools.

Statistic 33

Compliance training mandatory for 95% agencies.

Statistic 34

Gig economy collectors up 20%.

Statistic 35

Diversity: 40% non-white workforce.

Statistic 36

Overtime hours average 5/week during peaks.

Statistic 37

The U.S. accounts for 78% of the global debt collection market.

Statistic 38

Global debt collection market size was valued at $12.5 billion in 2022.

Statistic 39

The debt collection industry in North America is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2023-2030.

Statistic 40

U.S. third-party debt collection agencies placed $121.2 billion in debt in 2022.

Statistic 41

The European debt collection market reached €15.6 billion in revenue in 2021.

Statistic 42

India's debt collection services market is expected to reach $2.5 billion by 2027.

Statistic 43

Commercial debt collections accounted for 52% of total collections in the U.S. in 2022.

Statistic 44

The global debt collection software market size was $4.8 billion in 2023.

Statistic 45

U.S. collections industry revenue grew by 4.1% year-over-year in 2022.

Statistic 46

Asia-Pacific debt collection market is forecasted to grow at 7.8% CAGR through 2028.

Statistic 47

Global debt collection market size was valued at $12.5 billion in 2022.

Statistic 48

U.S. third-party collections placed $121.2 billion in 2022.

Statistic 49

North America holds 40% share of global market.

Statistic 50

Collections revenue per employee averages $250,000 in U.S.

Statistic 51

UK debt collection market worth £2.4 billion in 2022.

Statistic 52

Projected global growth at 5.9% CAGR to 2030.

Statistic 53

U.S. agencies collected $15.3 billion from consumer debts in 2022.

Statistic 54

Average recovery rate for third-party collections is 19% of placed debt.

Statistic 55

First-party collections recover 85% of early-stage delinquencies.

Statistic 56

Recovery rates drop to 11% for debts over 180 days past due.

Statistic 57

Legal collections achieve 25-30% recovery on judgments.

Statistic 58

Digital collections improve recovery by 20-30% over traditional methods.

Statistic 59

52% of collected dollars come from debts placed within 3 months.

Statistic 60

Average cost to collect $1 is $0.45 in U.S. agencies.

Statistic 61

AI-driven collections boost recovery rates by 15%.

Statistic 62

Commercial recovery rates average 28% vs. 18% consumer.

Statistic 63

Third-party recovery rate 22% for consumer debt.

Statistic 64

Early-out collections recover 40% of placed value.

Statistic 65

Post-judgment recovery averages 10-15%.

Statistic 66

Self-pay recovery in healthcare 28%.

Statistic 67

Omnichannel strategies lift recovery 25%.

Statistic 68

Average time to collect 90 days for optimal rate.

Statistic 69

Bad debt write-offs $100B annually in U.S.

Statistic 70

70% of collections from phone contact.

Statistic 71

U.S. FDCPA violations led to 15,000 complaints in 2022.

Statistic 72

78% of agencies report increased compliance costs.

Statistic 73

CFPB fined debt collectors $100 million+ since 2011.

Statistic 74

92% of consumers know their FDCPA rights.

Statistic 75

TCPA violations cost agencies $500 million in settlements 2020-2023.

Statistic 76

EU GDPR impacts 65% of European collections operations.

Statistic 77

45 states have mini-FDCPA laws.

Statistic 78

Licensing required in 38 U.S. states for collectors.

Statistic 79

25% of lawsuits against collectors are dismissed.

Statistic 80

CFPB received 80,000 debt collection complaints in 2022.

Statistic 81

FDCPA covers 99% of U.S. consumer debts.

Statistic 82

60% of complaints involve harassment claims.

Statistic 83

FCRA violations fined $50M in 2023.

Statistic 84

State AGs sued 200 agencies in 2022.

Statistic 85

EFTA regulates 85% of electronic collections.

Statistic 86

70% agencies use compliance software.

Statistic 87

International compliance costs up 12%.

1/87

Sources

Trusted by 500+ publications

+497

Imagine a world where the United States is responsible for placing a staggering $121.2 billion in debt for collection, a massive figure that highlights just how enormous and economically critical the global collections industry has become.

Key Takeaways

The U.S. accounts for 78% of the global debt collection market.
Global debt collection market size was valued at $12.5 billion in 2022.
The debt collection industry in North America is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2023-2030.
Total U.S. consumer debt reached $17.5 trillion in Q3 2023.
Credit card debt in the U.S. totaled $1.08 trillion in 2023.
Medical debt affects 41% of Americans with debt in collections.
U.S. agencies collected $15.3 billion from consumer debts in 2022.
Average recovery rate for third-party collections is 19% of placed debt.
First-party collections recover 85% of early-stage delinquencies.
The U.S. collections industry employs over 140,000 people.
Debt collectors' average salary is $45,000 annually in the U.S.
75% of collections workforce is in-house vs. third-party.
U.S. FDCPA violations led to 15,000 complaints in 2022.
78% of agencies report increased compliance costs.
CFPB fined debt collectors $100 million+ since 2011.

The U.S. dominates the massive and growing global debt collection industry.

Debt Volumes

Total U.S. consumer debt reached $17.5 trillion in Q3 2023.
Credit card debt in the U.S. totaled $1.08 trillion in 2023.
Medical debt affects 41% of Americans with debt in collections.
U.S. student loan debt outstanding is $1.6 trillion as of 2023.
Auto loan delinquencies rose to 4.04% in Q2 2023.
Mortgage debt in the U.S. stands at $12.25 trillion in 2023.
33 million Americans have debt in collections averaging $9,250.
Personal loan debt volume grew 12% YoY to $225 billion in 2023.
Payday loan debt totals $9 billion annually in the U.S.
Commercial receivables placed for collection hit $250 billion in 2022.
Healthcare debt placements up 15% in 2023.
100 million+ Americans have past-due medical bills.
Delinquent credit card accounts rose to 3.1% in 2023.
Total non-mortgage consumer debt $5 trillion.
$88 billion in medical debt on credit reports.
Utility debt in collections averages $1,200 per account.
Retail credit delinquencies at 5.2% Q3 2023.
Buy now pay later debt $24 billion outstanding.

Debt Volumes Interpretation

The sheer weight of these numbers suggests we're not just buying things anymore, we're buying futures we can't afford and paying for them with our pasts.

Employment

The U.S. collections industry employs over 140,000 people.
Debt collectors' average salary is $45,000 annually in the U.S.
75% of collections workforce is in-house vs. third-party.
Industry turnover rate is 45% annually.
60% of collectors have less than 2 years experience.
Collections jobs grew 2.5% from 2020-2023.
Women comprise 55% of the U.S. collections workforce.
Training costs average $2,500 per new collector.
Remote work adopted by 40% of agencies post-COVID.
Compliance officers make up 8% of staff in large agencies.
Collections employment 312,000 FTEs globally.
BLS projects 3% job growth to 2032.
Average tenure 18 months for collectors.
30% of staff trained in AI tools.
Compliance training mandatory for 95% agencies.
Gig economy collectors up 20%.
Diversity: 40% non-white workforce.
Overtime hours average 5/week during peaks.

Employment Interpretation

The U.S. collections industry is a perpetually revolving door of relatively underpaid newcomers, which makes its steady growth a monument to both human resilience and the unyielding persistence of debt.

Market Size

The U.S. accounts for 78% of the global debt collection market.
Global debt collection market size was valued at $12.5 billion in 2022.
The debt collection industry in North America is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2023-2030.
U.S. third-party debt collection agencies placed $121.2 billion in debt in 2022.
The European debt collection market reached €15.6 billion in revenue in 2021.
India's debt collection services market is expected to reach $2.5 billion by 2027.
Commercial debt collections accounted for 52% of total collections in the U.S. in 2022.
The global debt collection software market size was $4.8 billion in 2023.
U.S. collections industry revenue grew by 4.1% year-over-year in 2022.
Asia-Pacific debt collection market is forecasted to grow at 7.8% CAGR through 2028.
Global debt collection market size was valued at $12.5 billion in 2022.
U.S. third-party collections placed $121.2 billion in 2022.
North America holds 40% share of global market.
Collections revenue per employee averages $250,000 in U.S.
UK debt collection market worth £2.4 billion in 2022.
Projected global growth at 5.9% CAGR to 2030.

Market Size Interpretation

America's staggering 78% share of the global collections market reveals a nation both uniquely productive and profoundly indebted, driving a multi-billion dollar industry that feeds on its own financial complexity.

Recovery Rates

U.S. agencies collected $15.3 billion from consumer debts in 2022.
Average recovery rate for third-party collections is 19% of placed debt.
First-party collections recover 85% of early-stage delinquencies.
Recovery rates drop to 11% for debts over 180 days past due.
Legal collections achieve 25-30% recovery on judgments.
Digital collections improve recovery by 20-30% over traditional methods.
52% of collected dollars come from debts placed within 3 months.
Average cost to collect $1 is $0.45 in U.S. agencies.
AI-driven collections boost recovery rates by 15%.
Commercial recovery rates average 28% vs. 18% consumer.
Third-party recovery rate 22% for consumer debt.
Early-out collections recover 40% of placed value.
Post-judgment recovery averages 10-15%.
Self-pay recovery in healthcare 28%.
Omnichannel strategies lift recovery 25%.
Average time to collect 90 days for optimal rate.
Bad debt write-offs $100B annually in U.S.
70% of collections from phone contact.

Recovery Rates Interpretation

While the industry recovers billions, the clock is brutally decisive, as debts transform from recoverable assets to near write-offs in a matter of months, with digital tools and early action serving as the last best hope against that costly decay.

Regulations

U.S. FDCPA violations led to 15,000 complaints in 2022.
78% of agencies report increased compliance costs.
CFPB fined debt collectors $100 million+ since 2011.
92% of consumers know their FDCPA rights.
TCPA violations cost agencies $500 million in settlements 2020-2023.
EU GDPR impacts 65% of European collections operations.
45 states have mini-FDCPA laws.
Licensing required in 38 U.S. states for collectors.
25% of lawsuits against collectors are dismissed.
CFPB received 80,000 debt collection complaints in 2022.
FDCPA covers 99% of U.S. consumer debts.
60% of complaints involve harassment claims.
FCRA violations fined $50M in 2023.
State AGs sued 200 agencies in 2022.
EFTA regulates 85% of electronic collections.
70% agencies use compliance software.
International compliance costs up 12%.

Regulations Interpretation

The collections industry is navigating a perfect storm where consumer awareness and regulatory teeth have turned compliance into a costly, high-stakes chess game, yet agencies keep playing because the debts—and the fines—remain very real.

Sources & References

Logos provided by Logo.dev