Household Finances Q1 2025: Debt Rising for 1.5 Years

Household Finances Q1 2025: Debt Rising for 1.5 Years
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  1. Household net worth in Singapore grew by 8.1% year-on-year in Q1 2025.
  2. Growth in household assets (wealth) slowed, while financial liabilities (debts) kept rising for 6 straight quarters.
  3. Debt increase was mainly due to faster growth in mortgage loans and personal loans.

Singapore household finances Q1 2025 saw net worth gains, but debt also increased due to rising mortgage and personal loan numbers.

What is a Household Sector Balance Sheet?

According to SingStat, the household sector balance sheet records the total assets (wealth) and liabilities (debts) of all resident units in Singapore.

It covers Singapore citizens, permanent residents, foreigners, and small businesses like sole proprietorships.

The balance sheet only counts those that have done business or lived here for at least a year.

Assets on the sheet show wealth owned, such as financial accounts and property.

Liabilities are debts, including mortgage and personal loans.

  • Assets = what you own (cash, shares, homes).
  • Liabilities = what you owe (mortgage loan, personal debts).
  • Net worth = total assets minus liabilities.

Household net worth refers to the difference between total assets and total liabilities.

This provides an indication of how well SG households are doing financially.

In the first 3 months (Q1) of 2025, the total wealth of households was 8.1% higher than it was in the same months of 2024.

This pace is a bit slower than last quarter (Q4 2024 saw 8.5% net worth growth).

Asset growth also slowed down, while liabilities rose at a faster pace.

Assets grew by 7.8% in Q1 2025, compared to 8.0% in Q4 2024.

Household liabilities rose 5.2% in Q1 2025, up from 4.2% in the previous quarter.

Slower asset growth was mainly due to less growth in residential property assets.

Asset and Liability Breakdown: Growth Trend Over 5 Quarters

Asset growth stayed strong but slowed for two quarters.

Growth in assets was 7.4% in Q1 2024, went up to 8.4% in Q3 2024, then slipped to 7.8% in Q1 2025.

Liabilities (debts) saw a steady rise, increasing every quarter.

Liability growth was just 1.8% in Q1 2024, but reached 5.2% in Q1 2025.

PeriodNet Worth GrowthAssets GrowthLiabilities Growth
Q1 20248.2%7.4%1.8%
Q2 20248.1%7.5%2.4%
Q3 20249.1%8.4%3.5%
Q4 20248.5%8.0%4.2%
Q1 20258.1%7.8%5.2%

Financial assets grew faster in Q1 2025, while property asset growth had slowed.

Details on Household Assets in Q1 2025

  • Assets growth in Q1 2025: 7.8%
  • Financial assets growth in Q1 2025: 8.0%
  • Residential property assets growth: 7.6%
  • Financial assets’ share of total assets: 56.0%
  • Residential property’s share of total assets: 44.0%

This means financial assets and property each make up nearly half of all household assets in Singapore.

Details on Household Liabilities in Q1 2025

Liabilities—which means debts—grew for six straight quarters.

Liabilities increased by 5.2% in Q1 2025.

Main drivers were mortgage loans and personal loans.

As quoted in SingStat, “In contrast, growth in liabilities increased for six consecutive quarters to 5.2% in the first quarter of 2025, largely driven by faster growth in mortgage loans and personal loans.”

  • Mortgage loans growth in Q1 2025: 4.0%
  • Personal loans growth in Q1 2025: 8.7%
  • Mortgage loans were 72.9% of total liabilities.
  • Personal loans were 27.1% of total liabilities.

Singaporeans’ mortgage debts stay large, but personal loan growth is picking up speed.

Q1 2025Relative Share% of PDI
Mortgage Loans72.9%79.4%
Personal Loans27.1%29.5%

Key Statistics at a Glance for Household Finances Q1 2025

Net Worth made up 880.7% of personal disposable income (PDI) in Q1 2025.

This means Singapore households’ net worth is 9X of what they earn in a year.

Assets made up 989.6% of PDI in Q1 2025.

This means Singapore households own nearly 10X of what they earn in a year as assets.

Liabilities made up 108.9% of PDI in Q1 2025.

This means Singapore households owes about 1.1X of what they earn in a year as debts.

According to SingStat, “Household net worth refers to the difference between total assets and total liabilities and it provides an indication of households’ financial health.”

Asset and liability numbers follow international data practices.

The household sector balance sheet is a way to check on financial health for all Singapore residents.

Assets, debts, net worth, mortgage loans, and personal loans are all part of this balance sheet.

If you want to review the details, the full report is at SingStat Q1 2025 Household Sector Balance Sheet.

Do you feel the growth in personal and mortgage loans is a worrying sign? Click Agree or Disagree below.

Your Take: Yes or No? 是或否?


Disclaimer: This article is accurate to the best of our knowledge and due diligence, but we recommend independent verification where needed.以下文章内容由人工智能自动翻译成中文,可能存在翻译错误或不准确之处。我们对此表示抱歉,若发现任何错误,欢迎读者进行反馈。若有疑问,请以英文版文章的数据为准。

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