Warning: Late repayment can cause you serious money problems. For help, go to moneyhelper.org.uk. Dot Dot Loans is a credit broker, not a lender.

PRESS SUMMARY · Dataset version 2026.1 · Published 20 July 2026

The Borrowing Barometer: Analysis of 196,367 UK Short-Term Loan Applications

Dot Dot Loans analysis of 196,367 deduplicated loan applications from 157,876 people, submitted via dotdotloans.co.uk between 1 January and 30 June 2026.

Five verified findings

  1. Utility bills were the most common stated purpose, at 34.4% of applications (67,512), ahead of emergency cash (23.2%) and seven times special occasions (4.8%).
  2. Most utility-bill applicants reported being in work: 69.4% full time and 82.8% in some form of employment.
  3. Existing credit commitments were common: 75.4% of applicants with complete financial declarations reported existing loan repayments (median £150 a month); only 9.3% stated debt consolidation as their purpose.
  4. 29.5% of applications came from people living with their parents, with a median age of 28 (at 30 June 2026); 78.4% work full time.
  5. Requests were small and consistent: the median request was £500 in every UK region, and 54.0% of applications were for £500 or less.

Methodology in brief

Applications deduplicated to one record per applicant per calendar month (identity key: normalised email; never published). Ages at 30 June 2026. Income and credit figures from the 97.5% of applications with complete and plausible financial declarations (all seven financial fields numeric, expenses ≥ 0, income £200 to £20,000). Regional mapping by postcode area, covering 99.9% of applications. Percentages rounded half-up to one decimal place from unrounded values. Full methodology, aggregate data, data dictionary and chart pack: see the report.

Limitations

The data describes people who applied for short term credit through one UK broker. It is not representative of all UK adults. An application does not mean credit was approved or that the applicant went on to borrow. Purposes and financial details are self reported.

Quote

“These figures show that applications for short term credit are frequently connected to essential household costs rather than discretionary purchases. The proportion of utility bill applications that came from people in full time employment is particularly notable.”
Paul Gillooly, Director, PJG Financial Limited (trading as Dot Dot Loans)

Contact and citation

Press contact: press@dotdotloans.co.uk
Cite as: Dot Dot Loans, The Borrowing Barometer: Analysis of 196,367 UK Short-Term Loan Applications, published 20 July 2026.
Permanent report: www.dotdotloans.co.uk/borrowing-barometer/