South Africa Debt Review Report - Q4 2025

Quarterly analysis of debt review affordability, debt composition, restructuring outcomes, and court escalation trends for October-December 2025.

Executive Summary

• 67.3% average debt-to-income ratio, up from 65.8% in Q3
• 42% of debt entering review is unsecured credit
• 72.4% successful restructure rate, improved from Q3
• 5.3% court escalation rate
• 12.3% average interest rate reduction post-restructure

Methodology & Data Sources

Data coverage: 19 March 2020 to Q4 2025. Sources include Finwise API (applications, income bands, debt composition), MDC API (outcomes, clearances, rejections), and court records.

Income, Affordability & Debt Pressure

Analysis of consumer income distribution and debt-to-income stress levels across income bands.

Debt Composition

• Unsecured Credit: 42%
• Vehicle Finance: 28%
• Home Loans: 18%
• Payday/Short-term: 12%

Outcomes & System Performance

Quarterly comparison of restructure, rejection, withdrawal, and court escalation rates - data not published by competitors.

Key Conclusions

• Early financial education is critical
• Better initial assessments improve outcomes
• Enforcement against predatory lenders needed