Data / Rankings / People in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills / EU countries

EU countries by people in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills

Greece had the highest people in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills of 27 EU countries in 2016, at 47.9%. Germany had the lowest, at 4.2%. The median was 10.6% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 10.6%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest47.9Greece
Lowest4.2Germany
Median10.627 EU countries
European Union (27)10.6History

All EU countries, 2016

Greece: 47.9 %Greece47.9Bulgaria: 34.2 %Bulgaria34.2Cyprus: 26.6 %Cyprus26.6Croatia: 26.4 %Croatia26.4Romania: 19.7 %Romania19.7Hungary: 19 %Hungary19Slovenia: 17.4 %Slovenia17.4Ireland: 15.4 %Ireland15.4Latvia: 14.9 %Latvia14.9Poland: 11 %Poland11Finland: 10.9 %Finland10.9Italy: 10.7 %Italy10.7Lithuania: 10.7 %Lithuania10.7Spain: 10.6 %Spain10.6Malta: 10.4 %Malta10.4Portugal: 9.3 %Portugal9.3Estonia: 8.9 %Estonia8.9France: 8.8 %France8.8Slovakia: 7.5 %Slovakia7.5Belgium: 7 %Belgium7Luxembourg: 6.6 %Luxembourg6.6Austria: 6.5 %Austria6.5Denmark: 5.8 %Denmark5.8Sweden: 5.4 %Sweden5.4Netherlands: 5 %Netherlands5Czechia: 4.4 %Czechia4.4Germany: 4.2 %Germany4.2
%. Source: Eurostat, Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes05). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Greece47.9-1.4 pts
2Bulgaria Series break34.2+0.6 pts
3Cyprus26.6-5 pts
4Croatia26.4-3.5 pts
5Romania19.7+0.1 pts
6Hungary19-2.7 pts
7Slovenia17.4-1.8 pts
8Ireland15.4-3.5 pts
9Latvia14.9-3.1 pts
10Poland110 pts
11Finland10.9+0.6 pts
12Italy10.7-4.2 pts
12Lithuania10.7+0.9 pts
14Spain10.6-1.1 pts
15Malta10.4-0.5 pts
16Portugal9.3-0.9 pts
17Estonia8.9-0.4 pts
18France8.8-0.1 pts
19Slovakia7.50 pts
20Belgium7+0.1 pts
21Luxembourg Series break6.6+1.4 pts
22Austria6.5+0.1 pts
23Denmark5.8-0.5 pts
24Sweden5.4-0.6 pts
25Netherlands Series break5-0.7 pts
26Czechia4.4-0.1 pts
27Germany4.2-1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Share of the population living in households that were behind on paying a mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase instalments in the last 12 months because of financial difficulties (EU-SILC, all household types and incomes).

EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC). The reference year is the survey year. Self-reported by households; a share of people, not of households.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes05). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes05/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes05) (EU countries by people in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes05/default/table

MLA 9

Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes05), EU countries by people in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills, 2016. Eurostat, European Commission, 17 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes05/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/arrears-on-bills/eu-countries?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes05). EU countries by people in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes05/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/arrears-on-bills/eu-countries?period=2016.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes05), EU countries by people in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes05/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/arrears-on-bills/eu-countries?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_people_2016,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc\_mdes05): EU countries by people in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes05/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/arrears-on-bills/eu-countries?period=2016. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc\_mdes05). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc\_mdes05/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes05): EU countries by people in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/17
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes05/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/arrears-on-bills/eu-countries?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/arrears-on-bills/eu-countries?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes05). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes05/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest people in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills?

Greece, with 47.9% in 2016, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest people in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills?

Germany, with 4.2% in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes05). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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