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Last updated: 4 November 2026

UK credit and debt statistics 2026

A sourced reference page for journalists, bloggers and researchers covering UK borrowing, credit cards, problem debt, debt advice and insolvency. Every statistic below includes a named source and date.

Headline statsMethodologySourcesCite this page

Headline UK credit and debt statistics

Use the links on each statistic to quote a stable section of this page. Figures are shown as reported by their source unless the wording says otherwise.

£1.9bn

was the net amount borrowed through consumer credit in September 2026.

The Bank of England said this was slightly below the previous six-month average of £2.1 billion.

Source: Bank of England Money and Credit (September 2026). Link to this stat

£1.2bn

was the net amount borrowed through other consumer credit in September 2026.

This category includes borrowing such as car dealership finance and personal loans, and was down from £1.4 billion in August.

Source: Bank of England Money and Credit (September 2026). Link to this stat

£23.8bn

was spent on UK-issued credit cards in July 2026.

UK Finance recorded 442 million credit card transactions that month, 6.5% more than in July 2025.

Source: UK Finance card spending (July 2026). Link to this stat

11,894

individuals entered insolvency in England and Wales in September 2026.

The total was 2% higher than August 2026 and 9% higher than in September 2025.

Source: The Insolvency Service (September 2026). Link to this stat

5,149

Breathing Space registrations were recorded in England and Wales in September 2026.

This was 33% lower than in September 2025.

Source: The Insolvency Service (September 2026). Link to this stat

1 in 357

adults in England and Wales entered individual insolvency in the 12 months to September 2026.

The rolling annual insolvency rate was 28.0 per 10,000 adults, up from 24.8 per 10,000 a year earlier.

Source: The Insolvency Service (Year to September 2026). Link to this stat

59%

of individual insolvencies in England and Wales were individual voluntary arrangements in the year to September 2026.

Debt relief orders accounted for 35% and bankruptcies for 6% over the same 12 months.

Source: The Insolvency Service (Year to September 2026). Link to this stat

126,240

individual insolvencies were registered in England and Wales.

The annual total was 7% higher than in 2024 and the highest since 2010.

Source: The Insolvency Service (2025). Link to this stat

89,130

Breathing Space registrations were recorded in England and Wales.

The Insolvency Service said this was the highest annual total since the scheme began in 2021.

Source: The Insolvency Service (2025). Link to this stat

£16,874

was the average unsecured debt recorded for StepChange clients at advice.

This was the mean amount, up 8% from £15,672 in 2024, and describes StepChange clients rather than all UK adults.

Source: StepChange Statistics Yearbook 2025 (2025). Link to this stat

Methodology

This page collects published figures from public regulators, official statistics, an industry body and a national debt charity. It does not combine datasets or create new estimates. Where a source describes a specific group, such as StepChange clients, the wording keeps that limitation clear.

For annual figures, the year shown is the period covered by the source. For monthly figures, the month shown is the data month, not necessarily the publication month.

Sources used

Cite this page

Suggested citation: 118 118 Money, "UK credit and debt statistics 2026", last updated 4 November 2026, https://www.118118money.com/uk-credit-debt-statistics.

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