Retreat interrupts 9-month sequence of increases and follows a drop in defaults and less income commitment
Family debt in Brazil fell to 79.2% in November 2025, after rising, interrupting the trajectory observed since February. The decline was also accompanied by an improvement in default indicators and consumers’ perception of their ability to pay debts.
According to data from Peic (Consumer Debt and Default Survey) from the CNC (National Confederation of Commerce, Goods, Services and Tourism), the percentage of families that declared that they had outstanding debts – such as credit cards, special checks, payroll loans, personal loans, pre-dated loans and car or house installments – returned to the same level observed in September (79.2%). Here is the study (PDF – 1.44 MB).
The perception of greater commitment also decreased: the group that considers itself “very in debt” and the group that considers itself as “little debt”.
Total default fell to 30.0% and returned to July’s level. Among those who say they will not be able to pay late debts, the index fell to 12.9%, the lowest result since August 2024. Defaulters with arrears of more than 90 days went from 49.0% to 48.5%, the lowest percentage since August.
Families also reduced the average delay in paying debts, currently at 7.1 months. The percentage of consumers with more than half of their income committed to debt fell from 19.1% to 18.8%. The average commitment fell to 29.5%, the lowest level since September 2023.
CNC projections show that debt should continue to decline in the last month of the year, while defaults tend to remain under control. The estimate is to end 2025 with fewer families in debt (-2.4 percentage points) and a slight increase in defaulting families (+0.5 pp) compared to the end of 2024.
