For years, a permanent job and home ownership have been considered the two pillars of the economic security of Italian families. Today, however, this belief appears less and less solid. This is demonstrated by the new picture outlined by Bravo’s Finsight 2026 Observatory, according to which the phenomenon of over-indebtedness involves more and more people belonging to the middle class, with stable employment, a regular income and even real estate.
How much Italians are in debt
According to the Observatory’s data, the average debt exposure is around 25 thousand euros and it is not always a single particularly high loan. On the contrary, the risk often derives from the accumulation of numerous loans signed over time.
In detail:
- 32.9% of people have two active debts;
- 39.3% have between three and four loans at the same time;
- 42% register an exposure between 10 thousand and 25 thousand euros;
- 30.9% have debts between 25 thousand and 50 thousand euros.
Mortgages, personal loans, financing for the purchase of consumer goods, revolving cards and bank overdrafts thus end up adding up to absorb an increasingly significant portion of the salary. The result is a progressive reduction in the liquidity available to deal with daily expenses and unexpected events.
The profile of those who get into debt in Italy
The analysis conducted on almost 19,400 profiles shows that adults in the midst of their working and family lives are most exposed:
- 58.7% of people in a situation of over-indebtedness have a permanent employment contract;
- while 38.3% live in their own home.
The numbers tell a different reality than in the past and highlight how economic difficulty is no longer linked exclusively to unemployment or job insecurity. Indeed:
- 53.6% of the sample is in fact aged between 45 and 64;
- 29.3% belong to the age group between 45 and 54;
- 24.4% are between 55 and 64 years old.
These are people who often have to support a mortgage, children, family expenses and other financial commitments at the same time. It is no coincidence that 33.9% declare monthly incomes between 1,500 and 2,000 euros, an income that confirms the involvement of the middle segment of the population.
Because home and a permanent job are no longer enough
For a long time, the permanent contract was considered a guarantee for both families and credit institutions. Today, however, job stability is no longer sufficient to avoid situations of financial difficulty. A regular salary certainly allows you to plan expenses, but it can become insufficient when a significant part of the income is absorbed by installments and financing.
Families thus find themselves having to simultaneously support the home mortgage, the car loan, consumer credit for household appliances or furniture, and any personal and daily management expenses. In this context, an unexpected event, such as a health expense, an urgent repair or a temporary reduction in income, is enough to compromise the economic balance of the family unit.
Furthermore, even owning a property continues to represent an important asset, but it does not necessarily mean having a solid financial situation. Indeed, when the home is burdened by a mortgage still in progress, condominium expenses, extraordinary maintenance, utilities, insurance and local taxes are added to the installments, which further reduce disposable income.
Real estate ownership, therefore, can coexist with strong cash flow tension, especially when accompanied by other fixed expenses. The risk is that of finding yourself with real estate assets but with insufficient liquidity to meet your monthly commitments.
