The over-indebtedness rate in Saxony has risen, according to a study published on 12 November 2026. The state nevertheless remained below the national figure, according to credit reference agency Creditreform . For debt advice services the development means additional pressure: Diakonie Saxony had already warned in June that advisory capacity was limited and called for it to be expanded.
Nationwide, the Debtor Atlas recorded around 7.36 million adults with indicators of over-indebtedness as at 1 October 2026. This was equivalent to 10.58 per cent of the adult population. According to Creditreform, that was 293,000 more people than the recalculated figure for 2025. The rate reportedly rose in every federal state.
However, the figures are comparable over time only with one important qualification. For the 2026 Debtors’ Atlas, Creditreform changed its data basis and retrospectively recalculated the previous year’s figures using a statistical method. The credit reference agency says that, as a result, direct comparison with older publications is not possible.
The survey also covers financial difficulties of varying severity. The indicators include pre-court payment problems such as reminders and debt collection proceedings. Creditreform also takes account of court measures and more serious indicators, such as insolvency applications or entries in debt registers. Having debts is not the same as being over-indebted.
Diakonie Saxony published its own report on its advisory work on 15 June 2026. It said that its 19 debt advice centres handled a total of 3,032 ongoing cases in 2025. Thirty-eight per cent of those seeking advice had income from employment or self-employment. The figures relate to Diakonie’s advice cases, not to all over-indebted people in the Free State.
The advice centres help people organise their financial situation and seek solutions with creditors. According to Diakonie, this also includes attempts to reach out-of-court settlements under the Insolvency Code. The debt and insolvency advice service at Diakonie Döbeln also lists household budgeting, support with securing a livelihood and information about consumer insolvency proceedings as part of its work.
The association says that funding is a problem: in June, it stated that its existing staffing levels were insufficient to meet demand. Given the financial constraints facing local authorities, it said that a necessary expansion was not foreseeable. Diakonie called for more staff, funding to match demand and a consistent statistical recording system across Saxony.
Creditreform’s survey and Diakonie’s report measure different things: the Debtors’ Atlas records indicators of financial difficulties in the population, while the association’s figures show who accesses its own advice centres. Together, they raise the question of whether existing support reaches those who need it in time.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).