Credit map illustrates national debt

Switzerland's association of creditors has for the first time released a national atlas of the country's debt.

Creditreform, which counts more than 165,000 member businesses, says that close to three per cent of the population is heavily indebted.

The map shows an urban-rural divide, but Creditreform notes that even within cities, the rate of over-indebtedness varies. In Zurich, it ranges from 1.47 to 6.61 per cent.

The region with the highest rate of over-indebtedness is the Jura region, in the northwest.

The most indebted postal code is in Schaffhausen, in northern Switzerland, where 23 per cent of households are credit-challenged.

The association says easily available consumer loans have contributed to the problem.