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 26 EU countries in 2019, at 41.4%. Czechia had the lowest, at 2.8%. The median was 8.3% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 8.2%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest41.4Greece
Lowest2.8Czechia
Median8.326 EU countries
European Union (27)8.2History

All EU countries, 2019

Greece: 41.4 %Greece41.4Bulgaria: 29.3 %Bulgaria29.3Cyprus: 17.2 %Cyprus17.2Croatia: 15.7 %Croatia15.7Romania: 15.4 %Romania15.4Slovenia: 12.2 %Slovenia12.2Ireland: 11.8 %Ireland11.8Hungary: 10.9 %Hungary10.9Finland: 10.5 %Finland10.5Slovakia: 10.2 %Slovakia10.2Latvia: 9.9 %Latvia9.9Estonia: 8.5 %Estonia8.5France: 8.4 %France8.4Lithuania: 8.2 %Lithuania8.2Spain: 8.1 %Spain8.1Malta: 7.8 %Malta7.8Poland: 7.4 %Poland7.4Denmark: 7.3 %Denmark7.3Italy: 5.9 %Italy5.9Portugal: 5.8 %Portugal5.8Belgium: 5.6 %Belgium5.6Sweden: 4.8 %Sweden4.8Austria: 4.3 %Austria4.3Netherlands: 4 %Netherlands4Germany: 3.7 %Germany3.7Czechia: 2.8 %Czechia2.8
%. 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 countries2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Greece41.4-1.6 pts
2Bulgaria29.3-2.6 pts
3Cyprus17.2-4.4 pts
4Croatia15.7-2.9 pts
5Romania15.4-1.1 pts
6Slovenia12.2-1.4 pts
7Ireland Series break11.8+0.6 pts
8Hungary Series break10.9-1.9 pts
9Finland10.5-0.2 pts
10Slovakia10.2+0.3 pts
11Latvia9.9-3.9 pts
12Estonia8.5+0.5 pts
13France8.4-0.7 pts
14Lithuania8.2-2.1 pts
15Spain8.1-1.3 pts
16Malta7.8-0.3 pts
17Poland7.4-0.3 pts
18Denmark7.3-1.4 pts
19Italy5.9-0.1 pts
20Portugal5.8-0.8 pts
21Belgium Series break5.6-0.5 pts
22Sweden4.8+0.1 pts
23Austria4.3-0.6 pts
24Netherlands4+0.2 pts
25Germany3.7-0.9 pts
26Czechia2.8-0.2 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. 1 EU countries with data in other periods have no value for 2019 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_people_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/arrears-on-bills/eu-countries?period=2019.
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 41.4% in 2019, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Czechia, with 2.8% in 2019.

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. 1 EU countries have no value for 2019 and are not ranked.

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