Borrowing Data

Credit holding statistics in the South West 2026

Last updated November 2026 · Data to 2024 · South West

Credit holding figures for the South West, from the Financial Conduct Authority.

86%

Adults holding any credit

In 2024, 86 per cent of adults in the South West held at least one credit or loan product (now or in the previous 12 months).

Source: Financial Lives 2024 survey: Annex A (Product holdings), Financial Conduct Authority, 2024

Survey estimate, base all UK adults; fieldwork 5 February to 16 June 2024; Includes regulated and unregulated credit; unweighted base 1637

70%

Adults holding a credit card

In 2024, 70 per cent of adults in the South West held a credit card (now or in the previous 12 months).

Source: Financial Lives 2024 survey: Annex A (Product holdings), Financial Conduct Authority, 2024

Survey estimate, base all UK adults; fieldwork 5 February to 16 June 2024; unweighted base 1637

20%

Adults overdrawn

In 2024, 20 per cent of adults in the South West were overdrawn on a current account (now or in the previous 12 months).

Source: Financial Lives 2024 survey: Annex A (Product holdings), Financial Conduct Authority, 2024

Survey estimate, base all UK adults; fieldwork 5 February to 16 June 2024; unweighted base 1637

30%

Adults with a residential mortgage

In 2024, 30 per cent of adults in the South West had a residential mortgage on the property they lived in.

Source: Financial Lives 2024 survey: Annex A (Product holdings), Financial Conduct Authority, 2024

Survey estimate, base all UK adults; fieldwork 5 February to 16 June 2024; unweighted base 1637

16%

Deferred payment credit use

In 2024, 16 per cent of adults in the South West used deferred payment credit (unregulated buy now, pay later) in the previous 12 months.

Source: Financial Lives 2024 survey: Annex A (Product holdings), Financial Conduct Authority, 2024

Survey estimate, base all UK adults; fieldwork 5 February to 16 June 2024; Deferred payment credit is the survey term for unregulated buy now, pay later; not measured in 2017 or 2020; unweighted base 1637

5.2%

Adults with high-cost credit

In 2024, 5.2 per cent of adults in the South West held high-cost credit (now or in the previous 12 months).

Source: Financial Lives 2024 survey: Annex A (Product holdings), Financial Conduct Authority, 2024

Survey estimate, base all UK adults; fieldwork 5 February to 16 June 2024; Home-collected, logbook, pawnbroking, payday, rent-to-own, short-term instalment and guarantor loans; 2024 definition applied to earlier waves (Annex A footnote 7); unweighted base 1637

21%

Low financial resilience

In 2024, 21 per cent of adults in the South West had low financial resilience.

Source: Financial Lives 2024 survey: Vulnerability & financial resilience, underlying data for charts, Financial Conduct Authority, 2024

Survey estimate, base all UK adults, rounded to whole per cent by the publisher; fieldwork 5 February to 16 June 2024; Low financial resilience: in financial difficulty, heavily burdened by bills or credit commitments, or low savings

20%

Mortgage debt four times income

In 2024, 20 per cent of adults in the South West with a residential or lifetime mortgage had mortgage debt of at least four times their annual household income.

Source: Financial Lives 2024 survey: Mortgages (slide-based report), Financial Conduct Authority, 2024

Survey estimate, base UK adults with a residential or lifetime mortgage, excluding don't know and prefer not to say; fieldwork 5 February to 16 June 2024

Key points

In 2024, 86 per cent of adults in the South West held at least one credit or loan product (now or in the previous 12 months). In 2024, 70 per cent of adults in the South West held a credit card (now or in the previous 12 months). In 2024, 20 per cent of adults in the South West were overdrawn on a current account (now or in the previous 12 months).

Frequently asked questions

What share of adults in the South West held a credit or loan product in 2024?

In 2024, 86 per cent of adults in the South West held at least one credit or loan product (now or in the previous 12 months).

What share of adults in the South West held a credit card in 2024?

In 2024, 70 per cent of adults in the South West held a credit card (now or in the previous 12 months).

What share of adults in the South West were overdrawn on a current account in 2024?

In 2024, 20 per cent of adults in the South West were overdrawn on a current account (now or in the previous 12 months).