Debts registered with the Swedish Enforcement Authority have increased by 86 percent since 2019. The City Mission says that many people borrow money for rent and food, not for luxuries. The cost to society is estimated at 200 billion per year.
Nearly 500,000 Swedes will be over-indebted by 2025, which corresponds to 5 percent of the population and a 13 percent increase since 2019. This is according to the 2026 Poverty Report from Swedish City Missions.
This figure includes approximately 450,000 people with active debts registered with the Swedish Enforcement Authority and 50,000 people currently undergoing debt restructuring.
Borrowing to Survive
The total amount of debt registered with the Swedish Enforcement Authority has grown by 86 percent since 2019, reaching 154 billion kronor. Debt among young adults, in the 18–25 age group, has doubled in ten years to 2.2 billion. The societal cost of excessive debt is estimated at nearly 200 billion kronor annually, including healthcare costs and lost productivity, according to the Swedish National Audit Office.
Jonas Rydberg, Secretary General of the City Mission, says it's unbelievable "It's common for people to take on debt to pay rent and buy food—basic necessities like that. We shouldn't have a society where people fall below a reasonable standard of living and become desperate," he says. "Credit checks must be very thorough, and if they haven't been done properly, the company has to face the consequences.".
According to the report, excessive debt is primarily due to loans taken out to cover basic living expenses—such as rent, electricity, and food—when income is insufficient, rather than luxury spending. The Swedish Enforcement Authority cites overconsumption as the most common cause of debt restructuring, but researchers Julia Callegari and Frida Wallander at Mälardalen University describe it as borrowing to cover basic needs.
Förmågan att få lån verkar variera kraftig beroende på institut eller handläggare.
På vissa ställen känns det som att pengar kastas efter en. På andra får man knappt ut finansiering trots att man visat att det blir billigare i längden.
Håller med gen-sek Rydberg; Företagare får skylla sig självt.
Men det är som vanligt att säljivern och resultat går före sunt förnuft. Det ska säljas till varje pris. Kvartalsrapporten måste visa positiva värden.. Bestraffa säljivern. Ansvar måste tas!