DEVELOPMENTS IN THE HOUSEHOLD DEBT-TO-GDP RATIO ACROSS THE OECD COUNTRIES SINCE THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE HOUSEHOLD DEBT-TO-GDP RATIO ACROSS THE OECD COUNTRIES SINCE THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

Summary/Abstract: The paper aims to investigate the developments in the household debt-to-GDP ratio across OECD countries over the period 2007–2017 from the standpoint of the individual tendencies in the numerator (household debt) and denominator (GDP) of the ratio, and to identify the groups of countries exhibiting similar patterns in the post-crisis evolution of these variables. The investigation employs a comparative analysis of the average rates of change in household debt and GDP in the sample, as well as k-medians clustering aimed at identifying similarities. The results of the research reveal significant disparities in the development of the household debt-to-GDP ratio across the examined countries in the analysed period driven by the dominant tendencies in its numerator and denominator, which in turn appear to be related to the pre-crisis levels of household sector indebtedness and GDP per capita, as well as the depth of recession that affected each of the particular economies.

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