Arrears on utility bills in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Arrears on utility bills was 5.4% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
5.4%
Change on year
up 8.0%
World rank
26th
of 47 countries
All-time high
8.9%
in 2012
All-time low
4.5%
in 2007
Years of data
13
2005–2018

Arrears on utility bills in United Kingdom, 2005–2018

024682005201120182005: 5.4 Percentage2006: 4.9 Percentage2007: 4.5 Percentage2008: 4.7 Percentage2010: 5.6 Percentage2011: 5 Percentage2012: 8.9 Percentage2013: 8.7 Percentage2014: 7.2 Percentage2015: 7 Percentage2016: 5.7 Percentage2017: 5 Percentage2018: 5.4 Percentage

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.

Analysis

The most recent figure for arrears on utility bills in United Kingdom is 5.4%, measured in 2018.

That represents a change of up 8.0% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arrears on utility bills in United Kingdom peaked at 8.9% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 2007.

United Kingdom ranks 26th of 47 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Arrears on utility bills in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for Arrears on utility bills in United Kingdom, 2005 to 2018.
Year Percentage Change
2005 5.4% —
2006 4.9% -9.3%
2007 4.5% -8.2%
2008 4.7% +4.4%
2010 5.6% +19.1%
2011 5.0% -10.7%
2012 8.9% +78.0%
2013 8.7% -2.2%
2014 7.2% -17.2%
2015 7.0% -2.8%
2016 5.7% -18.6%
2017 5.0% -12.3%
2018 5.4% +8.0%

United Kingdom compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom's 5.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.7%, 96% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom's 5.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.4%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Arrears on utility bills in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2012 +78.0% 5.0% 8.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.9% 4.5% 5.4% 4
2010s 6.5% 5.0% 8.9% 9

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 24 Latvia 5.6% compare
  2. 24 Latvia 5.6% compare
  3. 26 Slovenia 5.4% compare
  4. 26 Slovenia 5.4% compare
  5. 26 United Kingdom 5.4% compare

See the full ranking of 53 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is arrears on utility bills in United Kingdom?
Arrears on utility bills in United Kingdom was 5.4% in 2018, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest arrears on utility bills recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 8.9% in 2012.
What is the lowest arrears on utility bills recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 2007.
How does United Kingdom rank for arrears on utility bills?
United Kingdom ranks 26th out of 47 countries with data for 2018.
Is arrears on utility bills rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Arrears on utility bills. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Arrears on utility bills in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/arrears-on-utility-bills/united-kingdom/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/arrears-on-utility-bills/united-kingdom/">Arrears on utility bills in United Kingdom</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Arrears on utility bills
Unit
Percentage
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
53 places, 997 data points, 2003–2025
Last refreshed