Debt per capita to banks in Serbia was EUR 818 at the end of 2011, which amounts to about 2.2 average earnings in the country, Secretary General of the Association of Serbian Banks Veroljub Dugalic said Tuesday.

Of regional countries, only the citizens of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina were less indebted, while the citizens of Romania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia all had more debt than Serbia, Dugalic told a press conference.

The debt of the citizens of Serbia based on loans was EUR 733, based on overdrafts EUR 29, based on credit cards EUR 49 and based on lease contracts EUR 6.

Over 2011, indebtedness of Serbian citizens and businesses arising from bank loans increased by 9.6 percent to RSD 1898.39 billion (EUR 1 = RSD 104).

In December alone, indebtedness of citizens and the economy grew by 2.4 percent.

As for the debt of the population only, during the last year, it increased by 6.1 percent to RSD 546.2 billion, rising by 0.8 percent in December.

The biggest growth in 2011 was recorded with cash loans and with housing and agricultural loans, while consumer and refinancing loans dropped.

As for the debts of enterprises, they jumped by 9.2 percent, to RSD 1,272.72 billion, increasing by 3.2 percent over the last month of 2011.

Entrepreneurs' debts rose by 53.5 percent, to RSD 79.47 billion, increasing by 1.5 percent in December.