Poles are more indebted than ever before
According to the latest InfoDług report, based on data from the BIG InfoMonitor Debt Registry and the BIK credit information database, almost 2.7 million people have trouble making payments. Almost 9 percent of us are already in the databases of non-performing debtors. Although the number itself may be alarming, its growth is not important, because compared to the data from last year, 20,000 non-performing debtors have increased, which is only 0.8 percent, but an increase of 8.4 percent y/y of the amount of overdue obligations. Their total exceeded PLN 83 billion. This means that the average arrears per debtor is PLN 31,000. This is the result of unpaid credit and loan installments, rent, court fees, fines for riding without a ticket, current bills such as for a phone, and alimony.
The report's authors attribute the increase in debt to several factors, including the rising cost of living, the economic crisis, and the pandemic. They also note that the average age of a debtor in Poland is 44 years old, which suggests that people are taking on more debt later in life.
