Real estate loans fall for third consecutive year, new data shows

Renminbi loans to real estate related activity declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, official data showed on Tuesday, reflecting the continued adjustment in China's property market.

In its fourth-quarter report on the distribution of financial institutions' lending, the People's Bank of China said that outstanding renminbi loans to real estate related activity stood at 51.95 trillion yuan ($7.48 trillion) at the end of last year.

The figure fell by 963.6 billion yuan in 2025, or 1.6 percent year-on-year, marking the third annual decline in a row. The 1.6 percent decline was the sharpest on record, according to Wind Info.

More detailed data showed that outstanding personal housing loans fell 1.8 percent, or 676.8 billion yuan, year-on-year by the end of last year, also posting a third consecutive annual drop.

Outstanding loans for real estate development declined 357.5 billion yuan, or 3 percent, year-on-year, versus a rise of 3.2 percent in 2024, the central bank said.