UK Personal Debt Statistics 2026

Up-to-date UK personal debt statistics, all cited to official sources: Bank of England, The Money Charity, UK Finance, StepChange, FCA and GOV.UK. Free data for journalists and researchers.

A curated, sourced digest of UK debt data for journalists, researchers, and anyone trying to understand the real picture. Last updated: 21 June 2026.

Key statistics at a glance

Total debt and borrowing growth

By the end of December 2025, total UK personal debt reached £1.94 trillion, according to The Money Charity. The Bank of England reports net consumer credit borrowing of £1.9 billion in March 2026, with annual growth of 8.9% and credit card borrowing up 12.3% year-on-year.

Credit cards

UK Finance recorded 419 million credit card transactions in March 2026 with total spend of £23.8 billion. Outstanding balances grew 9% over the previous 12 months; 48% of outstanding balances incurred interest.

Buy now, pay later

The FCA's 2024 Financial Lives Survey found that 20% of UK adults, around 10.9 million people, had used BNPL in the 12 months to May 2024, up from 17% (8.8 million) in 2022. The BNPL market reached over £13 billion in 2024.

Problem debt and advice

StepChange research found 51% of UK adults have experienced problem debt. In January 2026, 17,998 clients completed full debt advice with StepChange, 56% higher than December 2025. GOV.UK insolvency figures show 12,252 individual insolvencies in March 2026.

For journalists

All numbers link to original sources. Suggested citation: Debtfreeo. "UK Personal Debt Statistics 2026." debtfreeo.com/uk-debt-statistics-2026.

Popular Debt Tools

Latest Articles