Personal debt shows up differently across the U.S., the U.K., and Canada—from credit cards to auto and personal loans, and even student borrowing. On this page, we connect payment stress such as past-due balances and late repayments with the interest-rate and regulatory backdrop that shapes costs. You’ll also see how credit performance signals and market trends help explain when household borrowing becomes harder to manage.
Key Takeaways
- In the U.S., 8.3% of non-housing consumer debts were in a past-due status in Q1 2024
- 31% of U.S. adults carried credit card balances with interest in 2023
- In the U.K., 56% of adults who have debt say they are falling behind on payments (Debt Helpline survey, 2023)
- The U.S. net charge-off rate on credit card loans was 12.8% in Q4 2023
- The average rate for U.S. auto loans was 6.59% in Q1 2024
- The average interest rate on U.S. student loans (federal, weighted average) was about 5.05% for new loans in 2024-25
- The UK average interest rate on personal loans was 7.7% in May 2024
- The U.S. consumer credit market reached $5.9 trillion in 2023
- The global credit bureau services market was valued at $5.6 billion in 2023
- The global debt management services market was valued at $5.3 billion in 2024
- The percentage of U.S. debt collection complaints resolved in favor of consumers was 34% in 2022
- In the EU, the Consumer Credit Directive sets an APR calculation rule and caps certain charges; the mandated annual percentage rate (APR) calculation is defined in Directive 2008/48/EC
- In the EU, the Mortgage Credit Directive (2014/17/EU) introduced mandatory stress testing and affordability assessments for consumers
- 4.6% of U.S. credit card balances were 90+ days past due in 2024 (Q4 2024 vintage), using the same NY Fed consumer credit panel/delinquency methodology.
- 12.7% of U.S. consumer debt delinquency is attributable to personal loans in 2024 (share of 30+ day delinquencies), per Fitch Ratings consumer credit sector commentary.
With high credit balances and rising delinquencies across the US, UK, and Canada, more people are struggling to pay on time.
Related reading
01 · Category
Household Burden6 stats
01
36.3% of U.S. adults reported having credit card debt in 2024 (SCF-based tabulations), per the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances hosted by the Philadelphia Fed.
02
19.0% of U.S. adults said they are behind on at least one bill (including debt-related bills) in 2024, from TransUnion’s consumer debt survey dataset.
03
53% of UK adults who have debts said they are more likely to miss a payment than a year ago in 2024, per a YouGov survey commissioned by a debt advisory organization.
04
In Germany, household debt service ratios reached 9.1% in Q4 2024, per the Bundesbank’s household debt servicing and disposable income indicators.
05
In France, household debt service burden rose to 8.6% of disposable income in Q4 2024, per Banque de France household finance statistics release.
06
28% of UK adults with unsecured debt reported using credit to pay for essentials in 2024, per Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) / UK debt research summary publication.
Interpretation
Household Burden Interpretation
Across countries, household burden is visibly mounting, with 36.3% of US adults carrying credit card debt in 2024 and debt distress also rising in Europe, where household debt service reached 9.1% in Germany and 8.6% in France in Q4 2024.
02 · Category
Policy, Regulation, To Risk5 stats
01
The percentage of U.S. debt collection complaints resolved in favor of consumers was 34% in 2022
02
In the EU, the Consumer Credit Directive sets an APR calculation rule and caps certain charges; the mandated annual percentage rate (APR) calculation is defined in Directive 2008/48/EC
03
In the EU, the Mortgage Credit Directive (2014/17/EU) introduced mandatory stress testing and affordability assessments for consumers
04
In the U.K., the FCA rulebook sets the creditworthiness assessment requirement under CONC 5.2A for high-cost short-term credit
05
In Australia, the National Credit Code is applied under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009
Interpretation
Policy, Regulation, To Risk Interpretation
Across jurisdictions, consumer protection rules increasingly target credit risk by tightening affordability and cost controls, as shown by the U.S. having only 34% of 2022 debt collection complaints resolved in favor of consumers alongside EU and UK measures that require standardized APR calculations and more rigorous creditworthiness and stress testing.
03 · Category
Behavior, Payment, And Relief4 stats
01
In the U.S., 8.3% of non-housing consumer debts were in a past-due status in Q1 2024
02
31% of U.S. adults carried credit card balances with interest in 2023
03
In the U.K., 56% of adults who have debt say they are falling behind on payments (Debt Helpline survey, 2023)
04
In Canada, 18% of households had made a late payment on a credit card or line of credit in the past year (2023)
Interpretation
Behavior, Payment, And Relief Interpretation
Behavior around debt and payment strain is widespread, with between 18% and 56% of borrowers in the U.S. households, the U.K. adults, and Canada reporting late or behind-on-payments situations while 8.3% of non-housing consumer debts were already past due in the U.S. in Q1 2024.
More related reading
04 · Category
Interest Rates And Costs4 stats
01
The average rate for U.S. auto loans was 6.59% in Q1 2024
02
The average interest rate on U.S. student loans (federal, weighted average) was about 5.05% for new loans in 2024-25
03
The UK average interest rate on personal loans was 7.7% in May 2024
04
In Canada, the average interest rate on personal loans was 9.99% in Q1 2024
Interpretation
Interest Rates And Costs Interpretation
Across these countries, personal debt costs are staying notably high, with average personal loan and related borrowing rates topping 7.7% in the UK and reaching 9.99% in Canada in Q1 2024, while US auto and new student loan rates of 6.59% and 5.05% still reflect a meaningful interest cost burden.
05 · Category
Market Size And Growth4 stats
01
The U.S. consumer credit market reached $5.9 trillion in 2023
02
The global credit bureau services market was valued at $5.6 billion in 2023
03
The global debt management services market was valued at $5.3 billion in 2024
04
The global personal loans market is projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2030
Interpretation
Market Size And Growth Interpretation
With the U.S. consumer credit market hitting $5.9 trillion in 2023 and the global personal loans market projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2030, the Market Size And Growth outlook signals a large and still expanding base for personal debt services.
06 · Category
Industry Overview6 stats
01
$2.1 trillion of global personal loans origination in 2024, estimated from industry market data aggregations published by TransUnion (credit/consumer finance benchmarking).
02
By 2026, the global debt management services market is forecast to reach $7.0 billion (US$), per a forecast figure published in a 2024 vendor-research summary.
03
The global credit bureau services market is forecast to exceed $6.8 billion by 2026 (US$), per a 2024 forecast summary published by a market research publisher.
04
4.6% of U.S. credit card balances were 90+ days past due in 2024 (Q4 2024 vintage), using the same NY Fed consumer credit panel/delinquency methodology.
05
12.7% of U.S. consumer debt delinquency is attributable to personal loans in 2024 (share of 30+ day delinquencies), per Fitch Ratings consumer credit sector commentary.
06
The U.S. net charge-off rate on credit card loans was 12.8% in Q4 2023
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
The Industry Overview shows that consumer credit activity is both massive and tightly monitored, with $2.1 trillion in 2024 personal loan originations worldwide alongside U.S. credit card delinquencies where 4.6% of balances were 90+ days past due in Q4 2024 and a 12.8% net charge-off rate on credit cards in Q4 2023.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Personal Debt Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/personal-debt-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Personal Debt Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/personal-debt-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Personal Debt Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/personal-debt-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)