A PLN 40 kebab, a PLN 2,000 hairdryer, a PLN 4,000 designer handbag or a PLN 9,000 smartphone: the reasons consumers fall into arrears differ noticeably by age. Younger people increasingly defer payments even for food and small purchases. Middle-aged consumers struggle with accumulated instalments and family costs, while some older people borrow to help children and grandchildren.
Poland’s National Debt Register (KRD) lists almost 1.9 million indebted consumers with combined arrears of PLN 40.2 billion. By far the largest share belongs to people aged 36–65: almost 1.2 million debtors owing PLN 31.2 billion, with average arrears of PLN 26,700.
People over 65 owe an average of PLN 17,100. Their combined arrears are around PLN 3.2 billion, spread across 190,200 registered debtors. Among those aged up to 35, average arrears are lower at PLN 11,500, but more than half a million consumers in this group owe PLN 5.8 billion in total.
Middle-aged consumers hold the largest debts
Financial circumstances vary sharply. Young adults are beginning independent life and often have little savings. People aged 36–65 may simultaneously finance a home, car, children and everyday household needs.
Older people tend to have more predictable incomes but less scope to increase them when financial difficulties arise. Pensions must cover housing, food, energy and medicine.
Statistics Poland puts average gross monthly pay in the enterprise sector in August 2026 at PLN 9,259.54, up 5.6% year on year but down 2.6% from July. These figures cover companies with at least ten employees, not the entire workforce. For comparison, the 2025 average across the national economy was PLN 8,903.56 gross.
Young people defer payments for pizza and kebabs
A few years ago, phones, consoles, computers and branded clothing dominated purchases leading young consumers into financial trouble. Such debts still reach collection agencies, with expensive smartphones particularly visible. Devices may cost PLN 8,000–9,000, and some buyers struggle from the first instalment.
Alongside these costly purchases, smaller everyday payments are increasingly deferred. Buy-now-pay-later arrangements allow consumers to receive goods immediately and pay, for example, after 30 days. They are used for clothes and electronics, but also restaurant meals, cosmetics and inexpensive online purchases.
PLN 35 for pizza, PLN 40 for a kebab or PLN 70 for a dress may be manageable individually. Problems arise when a dozen or several dozen obligations accumulate at once. In one case, a young consumer had around 30 overdue payments totalling approximately PLN 2,000, much of it for food.
Young people’s response to initial arrears notices is also distinctive. They often immediately use search engines or AI tools to check what happens if they do not repay. Awareness does not always lead to prompt payment: some settle only when the situation becomes more serious, and parents sometimes pay in the end.
Ages 36–65: instalments, housing and family costs
This age group accounts for more than three-quarters of consumer arrears recorded by KRD. Within it, people aged 46–55 have the highest average debt, at PLN 30,700 per person.
This stage of life often brings the heaviest combination of expenses. Mortgage payments coincide with car costs, raising children, holidays, renovations and household equipment.
Problem debts include loans of tens of thousands of zlotys for home improvements. Some consumers also buy expensive equipment on instalments despite having little financial cushion. Examples include a roughly PLN 2,000 hairdryer with a case costing several hundred zlotys, and a Louis Vuitton handbag bought for around PLN 4,000. In both cases, the issue was the inability to keep up subsequent instalments.
Delayed payments are another common problem. If an instalment falls due late in the month but salary arrives days or weeks later, some borrowers assume a short delay is harmless. One obligation may appear manageable; with several, unpaid amounts roll into the next month.
Too many instalments strain cash flow
With numerous obligations, the crucial issue is not only the total amount owed but how much remains after essential living costs. Rent, mortgages, energy, food, transport and children’s needs take priority. Additional payments for appliances, electronics or other purchases can create cash-flow problems even for comparatively well-paid households.
A large one-off repayment does not always solve the problem. If it leaves too little for the next obligations, arrears can return within weeks.
Parents borrow on behalf of children
Another mechanism among 36–65-year-olds is borrowing for relatives. Parents or grandparents take out credit because a child or son-in-law lacks borrowing capacity. Phones, electronics and other goods are also bought on instalments in their name.
The family arrangement assumes the actual user will transfer money for repayments. If that stops, the person who signed the contract remains responsible to the bank, lender or retailer. The debt can therefore fall on someone who never used the product.
Older borrowers may not know a payment was missed
For people over 65, debt collection can present a different challenge. Seniors are regularly warned about fraudsters impersonating banks, police, couriers and other institutions. A call about arrears may therefore be treated as a scam.
Some end the call immediately, especially when asked to confirm details for identity verification. Their financial flexibility is also limited: pensions are generally similar each month and many expenses are fixed. After housing, energy, food and medicine, little may remain to clear arrears.
Helping relatives can create debts for seniors
Some older people buy goods on instalments for children or grandchildren. A grandmother might purchase a bicycle or phone in her own name, expecting the grandchild to cover the repayments. If they stop paying, she remains formally liable.
A senior may therefore discover the arrears only when notified of a missed instalment, having previously believed that the relative was making all agreed payments.
Age changes the structure of debt
Consumer debt has no single cause. For younger people, deferred everyday purchases and expensive electronics are increasingly important. Among middle-aged consumers, mortgages, family expenses and bills compete with payments for cars, renovations and household goods.
For seniors, limited capacity to raise income and borrowing to help relatives can be decisive. Across ages, the underlying mechanism is similar: a single purchase may be manageable, but numerous instalments or no financial reserve can turn small delays into lasting arrears.
Source: ManagerPlus, citing KRD and Statistics Poland.
