Under-30 Borrowers Show Higher Delinquency In Retail Loans: CRIF High Mark

India’s youngest borrowers are slipping on repayments more than older groups. CRIF High Mark data shows higher early delinquencies, mainly in unsecured and vehicle loans. 

A new CRIF High Mark study is pointing to a clear pattern: borrowers aged under 30 are showing higher repayment stress than other age bands. The trend is being seen across India’s retail loan book, with sharper stress in unsecured products such as personal loans and credit cards, and also in auto and two-wheeler loans. 

This finding, carried by PTI and published by Rediff on January 14, 2026, comes at a time when young consumers are also entering formal credit at a fast clip. 

Young Borrowers Default More In Unsecured And Vehicle Loans

CRIF High Mark’s “Credit Insight Report: Demographic Trends in Credit” (January 2026, data as of November 2025) flags higher delinquency for younger borrowers, especially in early-stage overdue buckets. 

The core age-wise delinquency picture is below.
 

These are early-stage delinquencies (31–90 days past due). CRIF states younger age groups show higher delinquency than other segments, even as overall delinquency improved versus the previous year. 

News reports published across January 14–15, 2026 echoed the same theme. The Week (PTI) and Free Press Journal noted that under-30 borrowers default more on personal loans and credit cards, and also on auto or two-wheeler loans. 

The geography is not evenly distributed. The PTI copy carried by The Week and Free Press Journal says Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra together contribute 35% of active loans for borrowers under 30, followed by Karnataka and other states.

What Happened Earlier: Credit Entry Rose Fast, Stress Stayed Visible?

CRIF’s January 2026 report is not only about delinquency. It also shows strong expansion among younger borrowers, especially in entry-level credit behaviour. For the ≤25 group, CRIF notes 5.6% YoY borrower growth and 17.1% YoY POS growth. 

For ages 26–30, the report highlights the highest YoY borrower growth at 10.7%, along with POS expansion of 19% (data as of Nov 2025). 

At the same time, the portfolio anchor remains the 31–40 cohort. CRIF notes this group leads in borrowers share (28.5%), active loans (32.2%) and POS share (29.4%) as of Nov 2025. 

The new-to-credit (NTC) pipeline explains why lenders keep pushing the younger segment. The report states ≤25 years lead NTC volumes with a 35.5% share, and they form 26.6% of total NTC borrower count as of Nov 2025. 

A quick snapshot is below.
 

The report adds that 31–40 delivered the highest sanctioned NTC value at ₹2 lakh crore, with 23.8% volume share and 26.1% value share. 

In reporting around the same date, The Indian Express (January 14, 2026) described this as a split dynamic: younger borrowers are leading new credit entry and unsecured lending growth, while 31–40 continues to anchor outstanding balances. 

Stakeholder Viewpoints: Credit Bureau And Lenders’ Focus Areas

CRIF High Mark’s position, quoted in PTI reports, is that the under-30 cohort “exhibits higher delinquency levels” versus other age groups. 

On lender strategy, Mint Money (Published Jan 16, 2026,) reports NBFCs focus primarily on borrowers under 30, while private banks primarily target 31–40 overall but place strong emphasis on under-30 borrowers for unsecured products and two-wheeler loans. 

LoansJagat (05 Jan 2026) also flags mounting stress in unsecured lending, saying defaults on personal loans and credit cards are rising in several regions, with overlapping credit exposure adding pressure on high-risk borrowers. 

Conclusion

CRIF’s latest data shows the under-30 cohort is both a key growth engine and a higher-delinquency segment. For lenders, the pressure point is clear: unsecured and small-ticket vehicle loans need tighter screening and faster collections in young-heavy geographies.