Data compiled by AS “Kredītinformācijas birojs” (KIB) show that, by the end of the first quarter of 2026, 702,000 individuals in Latvia had active loan obligations, while 152,000, or 22% of borrowers, had at least one loan overdue by more than 90 days, a delay regarded as serious arrears.

KIB data show that the outstanding balance of individuals' active loan obligations reached 9.9 billion euros in March 2026. Of that, the outstanding balance of loans overdue by more than 90 days stood at 986 million euros.

“Anyone can miss a payment - it can be forgetfulness, a technical error, or temporary cash-flow difficulties. But once the delay exceeds 90 days, that is long enough to indicate more serious financial difficulties. That is why this threshold is widely used when assessing credit risk,” explains KIB CEO Intars Miķelsons.

Overdue Loans Are Often Just Part of Wider Financial Difficulties

KIB gathers information not only from the financial sector, but also from non-financial companies - utility providers, healthcare institutions, out-of-court debt collection services - and on other kinds of debt. This data gives a fuller picture of residents' financial obligations. Individuals' outstanding debt to non-financial companies stood at 764 million euros in March 2026, while for people who had loan arrears exceeding 90 days, debts to non-financial companies reached 375 million euros.

“Financial difficulties rarely begin and end with just one missed loan payment. Often, other payments - for utilities, healthcare or everyday services - build up in parallel. That is why it is important to see the full picture, not just a single isolated debt. The more complete and up to date the information is, the easier it is to spot risks in time and make responsible decisions, for both lenders and residents themselves,” says I. Miķelsons.

The compiled data show that, of all individual borrowers, 62% had obligations to a single creditor, 23% to two creditors, and 13% to three creditors. Once non-financial-sector creditors are included, it becomes clear that for some of those in arrears, the total number of creditors rises significantly.

KIB Calls on Companies to Take Part in Data Exchange

KIB is inviting companies that have overdue payments or debtors, including individuals, to contact KIB and find out how they can add their own data to KIB's data-exchange system.

I. Miķelsons stresses that more accurate and complete information on residents' payment discipline benefits all parties involved in the long run. Lenders can assess customers' solvency more objectively and make more responsible decisions. For customers who honour their obligations in good faith, meanwhile, more complete credit information can, over time, help them secure better borrowing terms, since the price of credit no longer needs to factor in the higher risk posed by customers who deliberately fail to meet their obligations.

There is also a benefit for data providers - companies that deliver services and face long-overdue payments. Including debtor data in credit histories can help recover funds faster from customers who wilfully fail to meet their obligations. When overdue obligations are visible in a credit history, it becomes significantly harder for a person to keep taking on new obligations while failing to pay for services already received.

“We would remind you that including debtor data in the KIB system has been free of charge for companies for more than 10 years now. Data exchange takes place in line with legal requirements and helps build a more transparent, more responsible and fairer payment environment in Latvia,” I. Miķelsons adds.