40% of French people have at least one consumer loan currently being repaid. An equipment rate which is much higher in four departments of the metropolitan territory. Here they are.
40% of French people have at least one consumer loan in the process of being repaid: this is one of the findings of a study published by the specialized credit institution Cofidis (1). A number sharply increased compared to 2023 (31% at the time). The purchasing power crisis, under the effect of high inflation, is undoubtedly happening.
As always, this average figure hides differences in equipment depending on gender, age, financial situation or level of education. THE typical borrower profile is a man (52% of those equipped), aged over 35 (72%), living as a couple (69%), owner (63%) in a central city (37%) and holder of a diploma higher (51%).
The disparities are also geographical. Four regions, in particular, show a equipment rate above average. Hauts-de-France comes in first, with a rate of 52%. Followed by Pays-de-la-Loire (47%) and Burgundy-Franche-Comt (44%). Conversely, borrowers are rarer in Ile-de-France (29%), in Center-Val-de-Loire (36%) and in Normandy (36%).
15,700 euros on average
The panorama reverses if we consider the average loan amounts. L, Normandy (21,000), Centre-Val-de-Loire (21,000) and Ile-de-France (20,000) stand out, as well as Grand Est (19,000) and Auvergne-Rhne -Alps (19000). On the scale of the metropolitan territory, the average amount of a consumer credit is 15,726 euros.
6 out of 10 loans for car or renovation
Consumer credit remains overwhelmingly a recourse for buy a vehicle (36%) or for renovate your home (25%). THE pure cash loans are rarer: 16% of people questioned borrowed to finance an unexpected expense, 15% to buy household appliances or high-tech equipment, 11% to finance current expenses (groceries, bills, etc.), 8% for their vacations…
Consumer credit: comparison of online offers
(1) CSA Research study for Cofidis. Online self-administered questionnaire. Fieldwork carried out between February 26 and March 8, 2024. sample of 2020 individuals representative of the entire French population, aged 18 and over.