2024-07-22 20:23:07
There can be many reasons for becoming over-indebted. Statistics show what these reasons are and why certain groups of people are particularly at risk.
People living alone seek help from debt counseling services more often than other population groups. More than every second person seeking advice (51 percent) last year lived alone in a household, according to reports from the Federal Statistical Office.
According to the most recent survey, the proportion of single households in Germany is only 43.4 percent. On average, singles had slightly less debt, at 29,738 euros, than the total debt of those receiving advice, at 31,749 euros.
The men living alone had an average of 31,792 euros in debt, which was 5,328 euros more than the women. The men were also more deeply in debt in relation to their income: they needed 28 months’ net income to pay off their debts. According to this calculation, women would be debt-free four months sooner. The average for all those who were advised was 25 months.
According to the statistics office, the causes of over-indebtedness in 2023 were often illnesses, addictions or accidents. Here, the proportion among people living alone was almost a quarter, above the average of all people advised (less than a fifth). In contrast, at 19 percent, job loss was the main cause of indebtedness among people living alone, just as often as the overall average.
For women living alone, separation, divorce or death of a partner played a greater role at 14 percent than for men living alone (10 percent). In contrast, for men living alone, job loss was the main cause of over-indebtedness, at 20 percent, higher than for women living alone (16 percent).
People are particularly often in debt to public creditors (57 percent) such as the employment agency, health insurance or pension insurance. Telecommunications companies are in second place with 49 percent, followed by business people. 30 percent of those seeking advice have debts to mail order companies.
The results of these 2023 over-indebtedness statistics are based on information from 671 of the total of around 1,350 debt and insolvency counseling centers on around 175,000 people advised.