Zadłużenie gospodarstw domowych w UE-15 i nowych państwach członkowskich UE w latach 2001-2010

The period of 2001-2009 in the EU countries characterized with the growing trend of the household debt. In EU-15 countries the level of household debt reached 60% of GDP. In new member states (NMS) the level of debt was lower, however it was growing with a high annual rate and approaching the average level of the EU. The goal of the article is the analysis of changes in the value and the structure of household debt in EU-15 and NMS during the period of 2001-2010. The research is based on the data from Eurostat, European Central Bank and OECD. The results indicate that during the first years of the decade the highest level of the household debt was recorded in the EU-15, however after the EU extension in NMS the debt was growing with a much higher annual rate. The global financial crisis temporary reduced the pace of household indebtedness. In 2010 values of changes in the household debt returned to the rising trend in the entire EU changes returned to the mortgage loans consisted of 57% of the total debt, what was much less than in all EU countries. In some countries the value of the household debt exceeded the value of their disposable income. The structure of the debt was concentrated in mortgage lending in all EU countries.