UK household credit, % of GDP
UK household credit, % of GDP stood at 72.6 % of GDP in Q1 2026, according to Bank for International Settlements (BIS). It is one of the indicators in the Credit and debt burden table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q4 1966 to Q1 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Credit and debt burden table
| Indicator | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | Q4-2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit as a share of GDP | |||||||||||
| Households, % of GDP | 72.6 | 73.5 | 73.6 | 73.7 | 74.3 | 74.9 | 75.8 | 76.1 | 76.4 | 76.8 | |
| Non-financial corporations, % of GDP | 55.8 | 57.8 | 58 | 57.1 | 58.3 | 62.8 | 63.6 | 64 | 64 | 63 |
Understanding UK household credit, % of GDP
Gross liabilities accumulated by individuals and non-profit institutions serving households across the United Kingdom are compared here against overall economic output. The underlying debt stock encompasses residential mortgages, personal loans, overdraft arrangements, and credit card balances funded by domestic institutions and specialised lenders. It strips away all commercial enterprise borrowing and sovereign debt obligations. While related series in this table track business leverage or the sovereign sector, this measure focuses exclusively on personal balance sheet leverage scaled against national income.
Evaluating personal indebtedness against whole-economy GDP rather than household disposable income means the ratio reflects broad macroeconomic absorption rather than direct personal cash flow capacity. Quarter-to-quarter movements often reflect shifts in quarterly GDP estimates alongside seasonal housing market cycles. Year-on-year analysis is recommended to absorb retrospective revisions to nominal economic output. When interpreting long-term shifts, researchers should account for institutional reclassifications of building societies and specialised mortgage originators that occasionally adjust underlying loan aggregates.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this series cover unsecured consumer credit alongside home mortgages?
- Yes, it captures both secured residential property loans and unsecured facilities such as overdrafts, personal loans, and credit cards.
- How does this metric differ from a household debt-to-income ratio?
- It scales liabilities against economy-wide gross domestic product rather than the disposable income specifically received by the household sector.
- Are unincorporated family businesses counted within this household aggregate?
- Sole traders and unincorporated partnerships are treated within the household sector where their financial affairs cannot be separated.