Borrowing Data

Borrowing statistics in County Durham 2026

Last updated November 2026 · Data to mid-2025 · County Durham

Borrowing estimates for County Durham, built from published survey rates and population figures.

354,000

Credit or loan holders

An estimated 354,000 adults in County Durham held at least one credit or loan product in 2024.

Source: Estimate from FCA Financial Lives 2024 and ONS mid-2024 population estimates, Borrowing Data, 2024

Estimate: 81% of adults in the North East held at least one credit or loan product (FCA Financial Lives 2024, adults aged 18 and over) applied to 436,928 adults aged 18 and over in County Durham (ONS mid-2024 population estimates, single-year ages summed).

262,000

Credit card holders

An estimated 262,000 adults in County Durham held a credit card in 2024.

Source: Estimate from FCA Financial Lives 2024 and ONS mid-2024 population estimates, Borrowing Data, 2024

Estimate: 60% of adults in the North East held a credit card (FCA Financial Lives 2024, adults aged 18 and over) applied to 436,928 adults aged 18 and over in County Durham (ONS mid-2024 population estimates, single-year ages summed).

87,400

Overdraft users

An estimated 87,400 adults in County Durham were overdrawn on a current account in 2024.

Source: Estimate from FCA Financial Lives 2024 and ONS mid-2024 population estimates, Borrowing Data, 2024

Estimate: 20% of adults in the North East were overdrawn on a current account (FCA Financial Lives 2024, adults aged 18 and over) applied to 436,928 adults aged 18 and over in County Durham (ONS mid-2024 population estimates, single-year ages summed).

114,000

Residential mortgage holders

An estimated 114,000 adults in County Durham had a residential mortgage in 2024.

Source: Estimate from FCA Financial Lives 2024 and ONS mid-2024 population estimates, Borrowing Data, 2024

Estimate: 26% of adults in the North East had a residential mortgage (FCA Financial Lives 2024, adults aged 18 and over) applied to 436,928 adults aged 18 and over in County Durham (ONS mid-2024 population estimates, single-year ages summed).

109,000

Buy now, pay later users

An estimated 109,000 adults in County Durham used buy now, pay later credit in 2024.

Source: Estimate from FCA Financial Lives 2024 and ONS mid-2024 population estimates, Borrowing Data, 2024

Estimate: 25% of adults in the North East used buy now, pay later credit (FCA Financial Lives 2024, adults aged 18 and over) applied to 436,928 adults aged 18 and over in County Durham (ONS mid-2024 population estimates, single-year ages summed).

28,400

High-cost credit users

An estimated 28,400 adults in County Durham held high-cost credit in 2024.

Source: Estimate from FCA Financial Lives 2024 and ONS mid-2024 population estimates, Borrowing Data, 2024

Estimate: 6.5% of adults in the North East held high-cost credit (FCA Financial Lives 2024, adults aged 18 and over) applied to 436,928 adults aged 18 and over in County Durham (ONS mid-2024 population estimates, single-year ages summed).

127,000

Low financial resilience

An estimated 127,000 adults in County Durham had low financial resilience in 2024.

Source: Estimate from FCA Financial Lives 2024 and ONS mid-2024 population estimates, Borrowing Data, 2024

Estimate: 29% of adults in the North East had low financial resilience (FCA Financial Lives 2024, adults aged 18 and over) applied to 436,928 adults aged 18 and over in County Durham (ONS mid-2024 population estimates, single-year ages summed).

48,100

In financial difficulty

An estimated 48,100 adults in County Durham were in financial difficulty in 2024.

Source: Estimate from FCA Financial Lives 2024 and ONS mid-2024 population estimates, Borrowing Data, 2024

Estimate: 11% of adults in the North East were in financial difficulty (FCA Financial Lives 2024, adults aged 18 and over) applied to 436,928 adults aged 18 and over in County Durham (ONS mid-2024 population estimates, single-year ages summed).

452,191

Residents aged 16 and over

The estimated population aged 16 and over in County Durham was 452,191 at mid-2025.

Source: Population estimates - local authority based by single year of age (Nomis NM_2002_1), mid-year estimates, Office for National Statistics, 30 June 2025

ONS mid-2025 population estimates (published 29 July 2026 for England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland as carried in the same Nomis table), local authority boundaries as of April 2023, usual residents, as returned by the Nomis 'Aged 16+' category.

Key points

An estimated 354,000 adults in County Durham held at least one credit or loan product in 2024. An estimated 262,000 adults in County Durham held a credit card in 2024. An estimated 87,400 adults in County Durham were overdrawn on a current account in 2024.

Frequently asked questions

How many adults in County Durham held at least one credit or loan product in 2024?

An estimated 354,000 adults in County Durham held at least one credit or loan product in 2024.

How many adults in County Durham held a credit card in 2024?

An estimated 262,000 adults in County Durham held a credit card in 2024.

How many adults in County Durham were overdrawn on a current account in 2024?

An estimated 87,400 adults in County Durham were overdrawn on a current account in 2024.