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 2021, at 36.4%. Czechia had the lowest, at 2.4%. The median was 7.2% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 8.9%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest36.4Greece

Lowest2.4Czechia

Median7.227 EU countries

European Union (27)8.9History

Map of EU countries, 2021

Under 5.6
5.6 to 6.7
6.7 to 8
8 to 13
13 and over

%, 2021. Source: Eurostat, Arrears on mortgage or rent, utility bills or hire purchase, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes05). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2021

%. 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

Rank	EU countries	2021 (%)	Change on 2020
1	Greece	36.4	-0.5 pts
2	Bulgaria	20.4	-3.2 pts
3	Cyprus	17.3	+1.9 pts
4	Croatia	16.6	+2.4 pts
5	Spain	14.3	+0.8 pts
6	Ireland	13.7	-0.9 pts
7	Hungary	11.4	-0.1 pts
8	France	10.1	+1 pts
9	Romania	9.4	-5.4 pts
10	Slovenia	9	-1.3 pts
11	Finland	8.2	-1.8 pts
12	Malta	7.8	+0.8 pts
13	Italy	7.7	+0.9 pts
14	Latvia	7.2	-2.5 pts
15	Poland	7	+1.5 pts
16	Portugal Series break	6.8	+1.4 pts
17	Lithuania	6.6	-0.5 pts
17	Luxembourg Series break	6.6	+1.7 pts
19	Denmark	6.3	-1.4 pts
19	Slovakia	6.3	-0.4 pts
21	Estonia	5.7	0 pts
22	Germany	5.6	+0.4 pts
23	Sweden	5.2	+0.3 pts
24	Austria	4.8	-0.5 pts
25	Belgium	4.1	-1.5 pts
26	Netherlands	2.6	-0.6 pts
27	Czechia	2.4	-0.6 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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_people_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/arrears-on-bills/eu-countries?period=2021.
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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Rank EU countries by people in arrears on rent, mortgage or bills using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"arrears_on_bills_share","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
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Questions

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

Greece, with 36.4% in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Czechia, with 2.4% in 2021.

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.