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The number of people with payment defaults in Finland has risen by 8,000 so far this year, reaching over 377,000, according to new second-quarter data from credit agency Asiakastieto.
This marks the sixth consecutive reporting period with an increase since the end of 2023. At that time, the figure was just below 369,000. The number of new individuals added to the list grew by approximately 4,000 from the first quarter alone.
The share of people with payment defaults increased in nearly all Finnish regions. The exceptions were Åland, South Ostrobothnia, and Central Ostrobothnia. In Uusimaa, 8 percent of the population now has at least one default, the highest rate since September 2022.
In total, 1,007,000 new payment defaults have been recorded in the first half of 2025, involving 237,000 individuals. This represents an increase of nearly 8 percent from the same period last year.
Mikko Karemo, deputy CEO of Asiakastieto, said the rise reflects prolonged economic strain. “The number of consumers with payment defaults has been increasing for a year and a half. The lowest figure this decade was at the end of 2023, with 350,500 cases. Since then, we’ve seen a jump of over 26,500.”
Karemo pointed to inflation, high interest rates, and growing unemployment as likely factors behind the continued growth.
The number of new payment defaults rose sharply in the second quarter, up 164 percent compared to the first three months of the year. A total of 626,000 new entries were added from April to June. On average, a person with payment defaults now has 13 such entries.
Despite the high volume, the total number of new defaults is slightly down compared to last year, falling by nearly 3 percent. Karemo said this may reflect a saturation point: “Once a person receives a default, they are typically blocked from taking on more loans, which limits the chance of new defaults.”
Young adults are most affected. In the 20–24 age group, nearly 8 percent now have at least one default. The highest absolute number of cases is in the 40–44 age group, where 13 percent have at least one default. The fewest cases are seen among people under 20 and over 70.
Regionally, Päijät-Häme has the highest concentration of payment defaults, with 8.9 percent of its population affected.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
