Lesson 5 of 7

Household debt: levels and the burden of repayment

Household debt can be measured as a stock, how much is owed, or as a flow, how much of income goes to repaying it each month. Central banks in the region publish both. This lesson explains the two measures, what the research says about high debt, and how a regulator can cap the burden of repayment.

Published 12 October 2026