About 20% of young adults who have a credit report have debt in collections.

And young adults with credit cards, car loans or retail loans are more likely than older people to fall behind on their payments. 

That’s according to a new study from the Urban Institute.

It takes time to build up enough of a credit history to have a credit report at all, and even longer to develop a good credit score, said Kassandra Martinchek, a researcher at the institute.

“And what this really means is that young adults may have to face a higher interest rate … face a higher cost to borrow,” she said.

That may be one reason that more people between the ages of 18 and 24 are having a hard time keeping up with their car payments, retail loans and credit card bills.  

“Debt is a lot harder to pay off when the cost of it is greater,” said Chi Chi Wu at the National Consumer Law Center, who added that younger people are just starting to work and make money.

They’re also more likely to be renters than homeowners. And rents have gone way up in the last year or so, as have car prices.

“And obviously that translates into larger loans and makes it more difficult to afford,” Wu said.

All of which is likely making it easier for young people to get into debt — and harder for them to get out of it.