U.S. household debt delinquency worsened in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to a report issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Tuesday.
At the end of December 2025, 4.8 percent of outstanding debt was in some stage of delinquency, up 0.3 percentage points from the third quarter, said the latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit.
Transitions into early delinquency were mixed, with mortgages and student loans increasing while all other debt types held steady.
Meanwhile, transitions into serious delinquency ticked up for credit card balances, mortgages and student loans, while auto loan and home equity line of credit delinquency decreased slightly.
With household debt levels growing modestly, mortgage delinquencies continued to increase in the last quarter of 2025, said Wilbert van der Klaauw, an economic research advisor at the New York Fed.
Delinquency rates for mortgages are in line with historical levels, with worsening delinquency rates concentrated in lower-income areas and in areas with declining home prices, he added.
Total U.S. household debt increased by 191 billion U.S. dollars from the third quarter, hitting 18.78 trillion dollars at the end of 2025, according to the report.
U.S. household debt delinquency worsened slightly in Q4 2025
China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao outlined the key priorities of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, which opened on Friday in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province.
In an interview with CGTN ahead of the two-day meeting, Wang said free trade, digital cooperation and green economy are high on the agenda of the meeting.
"The key areas include advancing regional economic integration and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, supporting the World Trade Organization (WTO) in strengthening digital cooperation and developing green economy. At present, the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and chaos, with intensified geopolitical instability. The rise of unilateralism and protectionism poses serious challenges to the international economic and trade order, disrupting global and Asia-Pacific development. Against this backdrop, all parties have higher expectations for this trade ministers' meeting, hoping that it can build consensus and deliver outcomes," Wang said.
This year marks China's third time hosting the APEC meetings and the 35th anniversary of its membership.
By 2025, China had become the largest trading partner of 13 APEC economies. Trade between China and APEC economies reached 3.7 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for 57.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.
China has signed 24 free trade agreements or economic and trade arrangements with 31 countries and regions, including 15 APEC economies. In recent years, China has also completed upgrades of free trade agreements with APEC economies such as Singapore and Peru.
The minister said that China has always been a firm supporter and an important contributor to APEC.
"We have actively shared our vast market and development opportunities with all parties. China's door to the world will only open wider and wider. Facing the common challenges, China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country, further deepen reform, expand high-standard opening-up, and continue to provide new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the world with its new achievements in Chinese modernization," the minister said.
China's Commerce Minister outlines priorities for 32nd APEC trade ministers' meeting
