TAIPEI (TVBS News) — More than eight in 10 Taiwanese workers are carrying multiple loans, with the average debt reaching NT$2.41 million (US$76,410), a survey released Friday (April 17) found. Credit loans were the most common at 47.2%, followed by mortgages at 39.6% and credit card installments at 28.1%, according to 1111 Job Bank (1111人力銀行).
The Joint Credit Information Center (聯徵中心) reported that 5.179 million people held personal loans in January, up 1.23% from the previous year. Total loan amounts reached NT$24.20 trillion (US$767.5 billion), the center said. The job bank survey found 65% of workers are still repaying loans, with 82.2% carrying multiple debts.
Workers cited maintaining daily expenses (27%), unexpected large costs (17.4%) and insufficient savings (10.5%) as the top reasons for carrying multiple loans. Monthly repayments consume about 41% of workers' salaries on average, the survey found. Respondents estimated they would need approximately 10 years to pay off their debts.
About 32.5% of workers have taken on side jobs to cope with debt, while 30.7% plan to do so, aiming to work an average of 17.3 hours weekly to earn an extra NT$11,822 (US$375) monthly. The Ministry of the Interior Real Estate Information Platform (內政部不動產資訊平台) reported the average interest rate on new mortgages reached 2.67% in the third quarter of 2025, the second-highest in 17 years.