Skip to main content

What South Africans Owe: Consumer Credit Data (Q2 2025)

How much debt do South Africans carry?
South Africans collectively owe about R2.4 trillion in consumer credit (NCR, Q2 2025). Over half of that is home loans. About 1 in 5 personal loan accounts is more than 3 months behind on payments — compared to roughly 1 in 16 home loans.

Where SA's R2.4 trillion in consumer debt sits

Home loans make up over half of all consumer credit. Source: NCR Consumer Credit Market Report, Q2 2025.

Typical loan size by type

How does your loan compare to the SA average?

These are average outstanding balances — what people still owe, not what they originally borrowed. Source: NCR Consumer Credit Market Report, Q2 2025.

How often loans fall behind on payments

Percentage of accounts more than 90 days (3+ months) overdue — derived from the age-analysis tables in the NCR report.

Below 10% 10–15% Above 15%

Nearly 1 in 5 personal loans is over 3 months overdue — more than three times the rate for home loans.

Source: NCR Consumer Credit Market Report, Q2 2025.

Methodology note

Figures are transcribed from the actual published NCR Consumer Credit Market Report PDF (Q2 2025 — the most recent report the NCR has published; the CCMR appears with a long lag). Every number is traceable to a specific table in the report; the transcription record is kept alongside the site's source data.

Categories are the NCR's own six credit types, shown with plain-language labels: "Vehicle & other secured" is the NCR's "Secured credit" (about 92% of it is vehicle finance), and "Cards & overdrafts" is the NCR's "Credit facilities" (credit cards, store cards, and overdrafts).

"Arrears" here means the share of accounts more than 90 days (3+ months) overdue, derived from the report's age-analysis tables.

Figures represent outstanding balances at end of reporting period, not new originations in the quarter. Short-term credit reflects only quarterly-reporting lenders (NCR caveat).

Frequently asked questions

Credit statistics are transcribed from the NCR Consumer Credit Market Report (Q2 2025, the latest published). Figures reflect outstanding balances at end of reporting period. This site provides educational information only — not financial advice.