Loans for Swedish households in October amounted to just under SEK 4.4 billion, according to new statistics from Statistics Sweden.

And despite the corona crisis, there has been no slowdown in households' propensity to take out bank loans.

Loans have instead increased by 5.3 percent since October 2019.

"Do not be afraid to buy a house"

In normal cases, it is basically in line with what it usually looks like - but 2020 has not been an ordinary year.

- We have always thought that it will show in the numbers, but it has not, says Tina Hansson at the Unit for Financial Market Statistics at Statistics Sweden.

What drives up the statistics are, among other things, housing loans, which account for 82 of all loans to households in October.

Those loans have increased by 5.5 percent compared to October 2019.

- It shows that people are not afraid to buy a house or a larger apartment right now, says Tina Hansson.

Online shopping may have affected

Consumer loans are also increasing, but 6.2 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Blank loans, unsecured loans, have increased during the autumn after being stagnant for a large part of the year.

One explanation may be the increased online shopping during the pandemic.

- Many people shop via payment services where you can, among other things, postpone your credits.

It will be exciting to see how Black Week affects the numbers, but it will only come in a month, says Tina Hansson.