2026 Financial Health Report
What if, financial inclusion was today’s reality?
Discover the key trends impacting consumer ‘financial health’ in 2026
2026 Financial Health Report
Discover the key trends impacting consumer ‘financial health’ in 2026
The 2026 Equifax Financial Health Report examines how consumers have embraced a ‘Great Recalibration’ to survive sustained economic shocks — from 35 year mortgage terms becoming the new norm, to the explosion of a £7 billion recommerce market.
But with Energy Shock 2.0 looming and pandemic era savings exhausted, the margins for further adaptation are dangerously narrow.
Featuring exclusive insights from the new Equifax Market Pulse Index, expert perspectives on vulnerability and financial wellbeing, and forward-looking analysis of consumer resilience under pressure, the 2026 Report equips you with the data and strategies needed to build a more financially inclusive future.
Proportion of new mortgage originations now exceeding 35 year terms, cementing a permanent structural shift in the market.
Outstanding UK credit card debt, up 15.1% from pre-pandemic baselines, as consumers strategically use revolving credit for cash-flow management.
Annual value of the UK recommerce market, with consumers embracing trade-downs as a deliberate, savvy strategy.
Proportion of new Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) where the consumer is a homeowner, spiking from just 10% in 2023.
Average defaulted utility balance in 2025, double the £350 average in 2020, with balances remaining persistently high.
Forecast increase in the July 2026 Ofgem energy price cap, driving bills to £1,973 as Energy Shock 2.0 hits.
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