Of the 594,800 people who sought help from a debt counseling center in Germany in 2023, 30% also had debts from online shops. In 2022 it was 29%, in 2018 it was 26%. This emerges from current figures from the Federal Statistical Office. The amount of liabilities in online shops is also increasing. In 2023 the average amount was 650 euros (2.06% of the total debt of 31,565 euros), in 2018 it was only 527 euros (1.82% of the total debt of 29,008 euros).
Over-indebted women tend to have more frequent and higher debts with online and mail order companies. In 2023, almost 37% of women who sought the help of a debt counseling center had arrears with online and mail order companies. For men the proportion was 23%. The average debt burden for online and mail order companies was also significantly higher for women (847 euros) than for men (477 euros).
Younger people who are over-indebted are particularly affected by outstanding debts with online retailers. In 2023, 40% of the 20 to 24 year olds advised were in debt with companies in this industry. The proportion decreases continuously with increasing age: While 37% of 25 to 34 year olds still had corresponding payment arrears, the proportion of 55 to 64 year olds was 23%.
