Last updated: 30 October 2026 · Survey period: April 2020 to March 2022 (latest available) · Coverage: Great Britain · Compiled by IVA Advice Online from ONS and Bank of England statistics
How much do households owe, and who owes the most? This page uses the Office for National Statistics' Wealth and Assets Survey, the most detailed official source on household debt, to show debt by age, region and income, the types of borrowing people use, and how many households struggle to keep up.
Household debt in Great Britain
The survey splits household debt into property debt (mortgages and other loans secured on property) and financial debt (everything else: credit cards, loans, car finance, overdrafts, student loans, arrears and so on).
- 61% of households had some debt in April 2020 to March 2022. 50% had financial debt and 32% had property debt.1
- Households owed £1,410 billion in total: £1,266 billion in property debt and £144 billion in financial debt.1
- Among households with financial debt, the median was £4,600 and the mean about £10,800 (IVA Advice Online calculation: total financial debt divided by households with it). A quarter owed £12,900 or more.1
- Households with property debt had a median of £106,000 outstanding.1
View household debt by survey period as a table
| Survey period | Any debt | Financial debt | Median financial debt | Property debt | Median property debt | Total owed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2010 to June 2012 | 63% | 51% | £3,500 | 38% | £82,000 | £1,112bn |
| July 2012 to June 2014 | 61% | 48% | £3,400 | 36% | £85,000 | £1,123bn |
| April 2014 to March 2016 | 62% | 49% | £3,900 | 36% | £89,000 | £1,203bn |
| April 2016 to March 2018 | 61% | 49% | £4,500 | 36% | £96,000 | £1,283bn |
| April 2018 to March 2020 | 62% | 49% | £4,900 | 35% | £100,000 | £1,360bn |
| April 2020 to March 2022 | 61% | 50% | £4,600 | 32% | £106,000 | £1,410bn |
Source: ONS, Household debt: wealth in Great Britain, Table 7.1.1 Medians are for households with that type of debt. Amounts are in cash terms at the time of interview, not adjusted for inflation. The two earliest periods run July to June; later periods run April to March.
Household debt by age
ONS publishes debt by age for individuals (adults aged 16 and over, excluding those in full-time education), not households.
| Age | Has financial debt, 2020–22 | Median owed | Top quarter owe at least | Find it a heavy burden | Has debt, 2018–20 | Median, 2018–20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 24 | 23% | £4,600 | £22,300 | – | 21% | £4,000 |
| 25 to 34 | 51% | £5,300 | £15,000 | 9% | 51% | £5,000 |
| 35 to 44 | 49% | £3,900 | £9,200 | 12% | 48% | £3,500 |
| 45 to 54 | 42% | £2,700 | £7,800 | 13% | 44% | £2,800 |
| 55 to 64 | 33% | £2,000 | £6,000 | 13% | 33% | £2,500 |
| 65 and over | 17% | £1,400 | £5,000 | 7% | 16% | £1,600 |
Source: ONS, Tables 7.6 and 7.12.1 Amounts are for people with financial debt. "Heavy burden" is the share of people with financial debt who said repaying it was a heavy burden. – means ONS suppressed the figure because it was based on fewer than 30 people.
- People aged 25 to 34 were most likely to have financial debt (51%), with a median of £5,300.1
- Debt falls with age: 17% of people aged 65 and over had financial debt, with a median of £1,400.1
- Young adults aged 16 to 24 with debt had a median of £4,600.1
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Household debt by region
| Region | Households with financial debt | Median owed | Top quarter owe at least | In problem debt | Median, 2018–20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 54% | £4,300 | £12,000 | – | £3,900 |
| North West | 46% | £4,300 | £12,700 | 4% | £4,500 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 53% | £5,800 | £15,000 | 4% | £5,200 |
| East Midlands | 54% | £5,000 | £12,300 | – | £6,400 |
| West Midlands | 51% | £4,400 | £10,700 | – | £4,800 |
| East of England | 51% | £4,100 | £10,500 | 4% | £4,800 |
| London | 45% | £5,000 | £16,800 | 4% | £5,000 |
| South East | 49% | £4,300 | £12,700 | 3% | £4,800 |
| South West | 51% | £5,700 | £15,300 | 4% | £5,900 |
| Wales | 52% | £5,400 | £16,600 | – | £3,800 |
| Scotland | 46% | £4,000 | £10,000 | – | £4,100 |
Source: ONS, Tables 7.5 and 7.16.1 Amounts are for households with financial debt. – means ONS suppressed the figure because it was based on fewer than 30 households. Regional figures come from smaller samples, so small differences between regions may not be meaningful.
- Households with financial debt in Yorkshire and the Humber owed the most, a median of £5,800. The lowest median was in Scotland (£4,000).1
- North East and East Midlands had the joint highest share of households with financial debt (54%) and London the lowest (45%).1
Debt by age and region
ONS has also published personal debt for each region broken down by age band. Choose a region to see how much people of each age typically owe. These figures are for individuals with that type of debt.
| Age | Median financial debt | Mean financial debt | People with financial debt | Median property debt | Mean property debt |
|---|
Source: ONS, Personal financial and property debt by age and region, user requested data 3222.3 Medians and means are for people with that type of debt. People counts are ONS weighted estimates, rounded. * marks estimates ONS says to treat with caution (30 to 49 survey responses). These estimates have wide margins of error.
Household debt by income
| Income group | Has financial debt | Median financial debt | Has property debt | Median property debt | Has any debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decile 1 (Lowest) | 38% | £2,400 | 11% | £70,600 | 44% |
| Decile 2 | 40% | £1,500 | 15% | £75,000 | 47% |
| Decile 3 | 44% | £3,300 | 19% | £85,000 | 52% |
| Decile 4 | 49% | £3,700 | 23% | £72,000 | 57% |
| Decile 5 | 53% | £4,500 | 28% | £88,000 | 62% |
| Decile 6 | 55% | £4,100 | 35% | £91,500 | 66% |
| Decile 7 | 55% | £5,900 | 37% | £114,000 | 66% |
| Decile 8 | 58% | £6,900 | 48% | £110,800 | 74% |
| Decile 9 | 57% | £9,000 | 50% | £122,000 | 73% |
| Decile 10 (Highest) | 47% | £7,000 | 56% | £184,000 | 73% |
Source: ONS, Table 7.4.1 Deciles split households into ten equal groups by net equivalised income (income adjusted for household size). Medians are for households with that type of debt.
- Higher-income households are more likely to have debt, mainly because they are more likely to have a mortgage: 56% of the top tenth had property debt, compared with 11% of the bottom tenth.1
- Even so, 38% of the lowest-income households had financial debt, with a median of £2,400.1
Types of borrowing
| Type of borrowing | Households, 2020–22 | Number of households | Median owed | Households, 2018–20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit, store and charge cards (any use) | 32% | 8.6m | £1,100 | 40% |
| of which: carrying a balance | 23% | 6.1m | £1,700 | 24% |
| Hire purchase (including car finance) | 17% | 4.5m | £4,100 | 19% |
| Personal and other formal loans | 15% | 4.0m | £5,600 | 14% |
| Mail order | 10% | 2.6m | £300 | 4% |
| Overdrafts in use | 9% | 2.4m | £400 | 11% |
| Student loans | 7% | 1.8m | £21,000 | 6% |
| Informal loans (friends, family) | 1% | 0.1m | £7,800 | 1% |
| Any non-mortgage borrowing | 54% | 14.6m | £3,700 | 57% |
Source: ONS, Financial wealth: wealth in Great Britain, Table 5.7.2 Medians are for households with that type of borrowing. "Any use" of cards includes people who clear their balance in full each month.
- 23% of households (about 6.1 million) were carrying a credit or store card balance after their last payment, with a median balance of £1,700.2 Our credit card debt guide explains your options if balances are building up.
- Hire purchase, which includes most car finance, was used by 17% of households, with a median of £4,100 outstanding.2
- The households with student loans owed a median of £21,000.2
- Counting card balances that are cleared each month, 55% of households had some financial liability, with a median of £3,600. This wider measure is why figures here differ slightly from the overview.2
How many households struggle with debt?
| Survey period | Financial debt a heavy burden | Somewhat of a burden | Mortgage a heavy burden | Households in problem debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2010 to June 2012 | 20% | 36% | 14% | 7% |
| July 2012 to June 2014 | 20% | 33% | 12% | 7% |
| April 2014 to March 2016 | 17% | 32% | 9% | 6% |
| April 2016 to March 2018 | 14% | 30% | 7% | 4% |
| April 2018 to March 2020 | 14% | 30% | 6% | 5% |
| April 2020 to March 2022 | 11% | 29% | 3% | 4% |
Source: ONS, Tables 7.7, 7.8 and 7.15.1 Burden figures are for people with financial debt, and households with property debt, who answered the question.
- 11% of people with financial debt said it was a heavy burden in April 2020 to March 2022, down from 20% in July 2010 to June 2012. A further 29% said it was somewhat of a burden.1
- 4% of households were in problem debt (about 1,055,000).1
- Renters are far more likely to be in problem debt. 75% of households in problem debt were renting, although renters made up 38% of all households.1
These figures cover a period when many people spent less during lockdowns and government support schemes were running, so they may not reflect conditions now. Debt can affect your health too: see our guide on debt and mental health, or read about how to clear your debts yourself.
By household type: ONS has not published household debt by household type (for example single parents or couples with children) for April 2020 to March 2022. Housing tenure, above, is the closest breakdown available.
Latest borrowing figures (Bank of England)
The Wealth and Assets Survey is several years old. For a current picture of borrowing across the UK, the Bank of England publishes lending figures every month:
- Consumer credit owed by individuals (excluding student loans) was £261.2 billion in September 2026, including £83.7 billion on credit cards.5
- People borrowed a net £1.9 billion of consumer credit in September 2026. Consumer credit was growing at 9.8% a year.5
- The average interest rate on credit cards that charge interest was 21.71%, on overdrafts 20.79% and on new personal loans 9.85%.5
These are UK-wide totals from lenders, so they can't be compared directly with the survey figures above. For more, see UK debt statistics 2026.
About the data
- The Wealth and Assets Survey interviewed about 15,100 households in Round 8 (April 2020 to March 2022). Interviews moved to telephone during the pandemic, and ONS says results should be treated with caution.4
- The Office for Statistics Regulation suspended the accreditation of these statistics from Round 8 onwards in June 2025. The next round (April 2022 to March 2024) had not been published when we last checked on 30 October 2026.4
- Figures cover Great Britain only. Amounts are in cash terms at the time of interview and are rounded by ONS.1
- "Median" means the middle value: half of those with debt owed more, half less. It is usually a better guide to a typical household than the mean, which is pulled up by a few large debts.
- Bank of England figures are quoted with attribution and are not included in our CSV download.
Common questions
What is the average household debt in the UK?
In Great Britain, the typical (median) household with non-mortgage debt owed £4,600 in April 2020 to March 2022. The mean was higher, about £10,800, because a small number of households owe a lot (IVA Advice Online calculation). The median mortgage and other property debt, for households that had it, was £106,000. Source: ONS Wealth and Assets Survey.
How many households in the UK are in debt?
61% of households in Great Britain, about 16.6 million, had some form of debt in April 2020 to March 2022. 50% had financial (non-mortgage) debt and 32% had a mortgage or other property debt.
Which age group has the most debt?
People aged 25 to 34 are the most likely to have financial debt (51%), and those who do typically owe the most (£5,300 median). Only 17% of people aged 65 and over had financial debt. Figures are for April 2020 to March 2022 and exclude mortgages.
Which region has the highest household debt?
Among households with financial debt, the median amount owed was highest in Yorkshire and the Humber (£5,800) and lowest in Scotland (£4,000) in April 2020 to March 2022. North East and East Midlands had the joint highest share of households with financial debt (54%). Survey estimates for single regions are less precise than national figures.
How much credit card debt is there in the UK?
The Bank of England reports £83.7 billion of credit card lending to individuals outstanding in September 2026, part of £261.2 billion of consumer credit (excluding student loans). In the ONS survey, 23% of households were carrying a credit or store card balance, with a median balance of £1,700.
What is problem debt?
ONS defines problem debt as falling behind with bills or credit and either being in arrears for two or more months or spending more than 25% of income on repayments, or having unsecured debts worth at least 20% of yearly net income and saying the debt is a heavy burden. 4% of households in Great Britain (about 1,055,000) were in problem debt in April 2020 to March 2022, down from 7% in July 2010 to June 2012.
Using these statistics
You're welcome to use the figures on this page. Please credit the original source shown for each figure, and link to this page if it helped you find them:
Source: IVA Advice Online, "Household Debt Statistics UK", https://ivaadviceonline.com/household-debt-statistics/Download the data (CSV) – ONS Wealth and Assets Survey household and personal debt by survey period, age, region, income, borrowing type and burden, Great Britain. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics, Household debt: wealth in Great Britain, Wealth and Assets Survey, July 2010 to June 2016 and April 2014 to March 2022 edition (Tables 7.1 to 7.18), released 24 January 2025.
- Office for National Statistics, Financial wealth: wealth in Great Britain, Wealth and Assets Survey (Tables 5.7 and 5.9), released 24 January 2025.
- Office for National Statistics, Personal financial and property debt by age and region, Great Britain: April 2020 to March 2022 (user requested data, reference 3222), released 15 January 2026.
- Office for National Statistics, Household total wealth in Great Britain: April 2020 to March 2022, released 24 January 2025, including the notice of 13 June 2025 suspending the accreditation of Wealth and Assets Survey statistics from Round 8.
- Bank of England, Money and Credit – September 2026, published 29 October 2026, and Bankstats database series LPMBI2O and LPMVZRJ (seasonally adjusted amounts outstanding). © Bank of England; headline figures quoted with attribution.
This page provides general information, not advice about your circumstances.