A new Equifax Canada report says low interest rates and falling oil prices drove up consumer debt and delinquency rates in the third quarter, especially in Alberta.

The credit reporting agency found that average debt increased by 3.6 per cent to $22,081 in the quarter ending September 30, compared to the same period last year.

The figure is even larger in Calgary, with average debt pegged at almost $29,000.

Equifax says the percentage of people who are 90 days or more behind paying their debt grew to 1.14 per cent in the province, and 1.6 percent in Calgary.

The increase in delinquency was largely driven by oil-producing provinces in Western Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador, where default rates tend to be higher.

Total consumer debt, excluding mortgages, remains on the rise, fuelled in part by low interest rates.