Utility bills are rising rapidly: where in Ukraine are there the most delinquent payers?
3 August 12:12
The amount of utility debt in Ukraine continues to rise. In the first six months of 2026 alone, 108,561 new enforcement proceedings were added to the Unified Register of Debtors, and nearly two-thirds of them remain unpaid.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing data from OpenDataBot.
How Many Ukrainians Owe Money for Utilities
According to analysts, as of early July 2026, the Unified Register of Debtors contained 829, 768 cases related to non-payment of utility bills.
Of these:
- 108,561 were opened in 2026;
- 70,206 cases (65%) remain open and unpaid.
At the same time, 62% of all cases in the registry have already been closed; however, this does not mean that the debt has been repaid.
Enforcement proceedings may be closed due to the impossibility of collection or for other legal reasons, while records of the debt remain in the registry.
Where Are the Most New Debtors?
The largest number of new enforcement proceedings this year were opened in the following regions:
- Kharkiv Oblast — 22,171 cases (20%);
- Dnipropetrovsk Oblast — 19,636 (18%);
- Mykolaiv Oblast — 12,841 (12%).
These three regions alone account for nearly half of all new utility debts in 2026.
Which utility services do Ukrainians owe the most for?
Most often, Ukrainians accumulate debts for:
- heating — 46,186 cases (42.5%);
- water supply — 19,416 (17.9%);
- housing services — 12,648 (11.7%);
- gas supply — 11,538 (10.6%);
- electricity — 9,947 (9.2%);
- garbage collection — 7,020 (6.5%).
What is the age of the debtors?
Ukrainians aged 46–60 account for the largest share of new cases.
The statistics are as follows:
- 46–60 years old — 35.1%;
- 60 and older — 25.5%;
- 36–45 years old — 24%;
- 25–35 years old — 12.5%;
- under 25 years old — 2.9%.
Analysts also note that women were involved in more than half of the new enforcement proceedings — 60,141 cases.
The oldest debts have remained in the registry for over nine years
OpenDataBot noted that some enforcement proceedings remain open for years.
The oldest outstanding debts have been in the Unified Register for over nine years.
Specifically:
- a woman from the Chernihiv region has an outstanding debt for heat supply;
- a man from the Lviv region has an outstanding debt for water supply and sewer service.
Debt levels continue to rise
The number of utility debts in Ukraine is increasing almost every year.
For comparison:
- January 2021 — 344,500 debts;
- February 2023 — 593,300;
- July 2024 — 701,000;
- September 2025 — 788,500;
- July 2026 — already 829,800 enforcement proceedings.
