UK bank lending to individuals: total
UK bank lending to individuals: total stood at £1,990,363m in Aug 2026, according to Bank of England. It is one of the indicators in the Bank lending table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Apr 1993 to Aug 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Bank lending table
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total lending to individuals2 | 1,990,363 | 1,984,135 | 1,978,711 | 1,970,127 | 1,966,938 | 1,962,114 | 1,953,962 | 1,947,487 | 1,941,362 | 1,935,454 | |
| Lending secured on dwellings | 1,730,867 | 1,726,374 | 1,722,160 | 1,715,069 | 1,713,483 | 1,710,063 | 1,703,411 | 1,698,149 | 1,693,563 | 1,689,247 | |
| Consumer credit | 259,496 | 257,761 | 256,551 | 255,059 | 253,456 | 252,051 | 250,551 | 249,338 | 247,800 | 246,207 |
Understanding UK bank lending to individuals: total
Authorised banking institutions aggregate outstanding sterling credit balances owed by households across the United Kingdom, combining both housing finance and unsecured borrowing facilities into a single cumulative measure. This total captures the entire stock of personal debt held on monetary financial institution balance sheets, distinguishing it from business lending series and separating it from net flow calculations by focusing strictly on month-end cumulative liability amounts rather than new advances or repayments.
Interpreting these figures requires accounting for regular calendar effects and portfolio shifts between lenders, which can create artificial movements in outstanding totals without any underlying change in borrowing behaviour. Analysts should compare annual percentage changes rather than monthly differences to filter out seasonal spending patterns, and avoid treating stock levels as equivalent to gross lending flows since repayments and write-offs continually reduce the existing balance.
Frequently asked questions
- What categories of personal borrowing are included in this total?
- It combines residential mortgages with unsecured credit products such as credit cards, personal loans, and overdraft facilities.
- Does this series cover all personal debt in the United Kingdom?
- No, it specifically measures sterling debt held with monetary financial institutions, excluding borrowing from peer-to-peer platforms, retailers, and family loans.
- How frequently are these outstanding balances updated?
- Monetary financial institutions report these balance sheet figures on a monthly basis.