Overview
- Creditreform’s Schuldneratlas puts the 2025 over‑indebtedness rate at 8.16%, up 111,000 cases year on year.
- Both legally actionable cases and ongoing payment problems rose together for the first time since 2016, signaling a broad deterioration in household finances.
- Risk widened across income groups with the sharpest increases among people under 30 and over 60, driven by online credit and living‑cost pressures respectively.
- Regional gaps persist: Bremen (12.11%) and Sachsen‑Anhalt (10.73%) top the state rankings, while Bavaria (6.05%) and Baden‑Württemberg (6.88%) are lowest; Bremerhaven posts 18.33%.
- Debt advisors report heavy overload as lawmakers consider a federal counseling law and tighter credit‑checks for small loans and BNPL take effect on November 20, with Creditreform expecting further deterioration into 2026.