Borrowing Data

Borrowing statistics in Harlow 2026

Last updated November 2026 · Data to mid-2025 · Harlow

Borrowing figures for Harlow, from Borrowing Data and the Office for National Statistics.

83%

Credit or loan holders

In 2024, 83 per cent of adults in Harlow held at least one credit or loan product (now or in the previous 12 months).

Source: Local borrowing figures, Borrowing Data, 2024

Adults aged 18 and over; held now or in the previous 12 months. Includes regulated and unregulated credit.

68%

Credit card holders

In 2024, 68 per cent of adults in Harlow held a credit card (now or in the previous 12 months).

Source: Local borrowing figures, Borrowing Data, 2024

Adults aged 18 and over; held now or in the previous 12 months.

21%

Overdraft users

In 2024, 21 per cent of adults in Harlow were overdrawn on a current account (now or in the previous 12 months).

Source: Local borrowing figures, Borrowing Data, 2024

Adults aged 18 and over; overdrawn on a current account now or in the previous 12 months.

21,300

Residential mortgage holders

In 2024, 21,300 adults in Harlow had a residential mortgage on the property they lived in.

Source: Local borrowing figures, Borrowing Data, 2024

Adults aged 18 and over; residential mortgage on the property they live in.

18%

Buy now, pay later users

In 2024, 18 per cent of adults in Harlow used deferred payment credit (unregulated buy now, pay later) in the previous 12 months.

Source: Local borrowing figures, Borrowing Data, 2024

Adults aged 18 and over; unregulated buy now, pay later, called deferred payment credit in the survey, used in the previous 12 months.

4,030

High-cost credit users

In 2024, 4,030 adults in Harlow held high-cost credit.

Source: Local borrowing figures, Borrowing Data, 2024

Adults aged 18 and over; held now or in the previous 12 months. Covers home-collected, logbook, pawnbroking, payday, rent-to-own, short-term instalment and guarantor loans.

20%

Low financial resilience

In 2024, 20 per cent of adults in Harlow had low financial resilience.

Source: Local borrowing figures, Borrowing Data, 2024

Adults aged 18 and over; in financial difficulty, heavily burdened by bills or credit commitments, or with low savings.

4,180

In financial difficulty

In 2024, 4,180 adults in Harlow were in financial difficulty, having missed domestic bills or credit commitments in three or more of the previous six months.

Source: Local borrowing figures, Borrowing Data, 2024

Adults aged 18 and over; missed domestic bills or credit commitments in three or more of the previous six months.

77,229

Residents aged 16 and over

The estimated population aged 16 and over in Harlow was 77,229 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

In 2024, 83 per cent of adults in Harlow held at least one credit or loan product (now or in the previous 12 months). In 2024, 68 per cent of adults in Harlow held a credit card (now or in the previous 12 months). In 2024, 21 per cent of adults in Harlow were overdrawn on a current account (now or in the previous 12 months).

Frequently asked questions

What share of adults in Harlow held at least one credit or loan product in 2024?

In 2024, 83 per cent of adults in Harlow held at least one credit or loan product (now or in the previous 12 months).

What share of adults in Harlow held a credit card in 2024?

In 2024, 68 per cent of adults in Harlow held a credit card (now or in the previous 12 months).

What share of adults in Harlow were overdrawn on a current account in 2024?

In 2024, 21 per cent of adults in Harlow were overdrawn on a current account (now or in the previous 12 months).