The latest BIG InfoMonitor data shows that in November last year, the total debt of seniors was nearly PLN 12.2 billion – over PLN 152 million more than a year earlier.
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At the same time, the number of people in debt decreased from 377,000. 697 in the third quarter of 2024 to 355 thousand. 978 in the same period of 2025. This means that the problem is focused on a smaller group of people, but their obligations are increasing. The average debt per senior was PLN 34,000. PLN 209
The most spectacular case concerns senior citizen from the Lublin Voivodeship, whose liabilities amount to almost PLN 97 million. As BIG InfoMonitor points out, they constitute a significant part of this amount loans, but non-credit arrears also have a significant share, related to, among others, with current fees.
Big differences between regions
The data show clear regional differences. The highest average debt falls on seniors from Masovia, where the amount per person is PLN 55.7 thousand. PLN arrears. At the other extreme there are, among others: Opole Voivodeship (PLN 26,435) and Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (PLN 25,191).
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“Such significant regional disproportions in the financial burden on seniors may indicate uneven access to financial education and differences in the structure of income and costs of living. The higher average debt in the Masovian Voivodeship is not only the result of higher salaries and credit potential in the past, but also higher costs, such as rent and utilities, which sharply hit the wallets of retirees in large agglomerations,” emphasized Paweł Szarkowski, president of BIG InfoMonitor.
The rising cost of living is making the problem worse
Experts indicate that The main factors worsening the situation of seniors are the rising cost of living, high interest rates on loans and inflation.
“The increase in the cost of living, the still high interest rate on loans and credits, and inflation are factors that particularly affect people aged 65 and over, whose main source of income are usually permanent retirement benefits,” Szarkowski noted.
At the same time, the decline in the number of people in debt does not mean that the situation is improving. “However, the decrease in the number of people with overdue debts does not mean that the situation is improving. On the contrary, a larger part of the total overdue debt, which increased year on year, may be concentrated in a smaller group of unreliable debtors, which signals a deepening debt spiral in this socially sensitive group,” the expert added.
