Brazil household debt and delinquency rates decline in September

Brazilian household debt fell for the first time since late 2025, according to the Consumer Indebtedness and Delinquency Survey (Peic) conducted by the National Confederation of Trade in Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC). The percentage of indebted families dropped from 82% in August to 81.7% in September. Delinquency rates also saw a slight decrease, moving from 29.9% to 29.6% during the same period.

The improvement was not uniform across all income levels. While delinquency fell among families earning up to three minimum wages, it rose slightly in the group earning more than ten minimum wages.

In the city of Natal, the indebtedness rate was 82.8% in September, which is the second lowest among Northeast capitals but remains above the national average. However, Natal recorded the highest percentage of overdue accounts among Northeast capitals, with 43.5% of households in arrears. Credit cards remain the primary source of debt, cited by 97.7% of indebted families in the regional study.