Annual payment card transactions in Italy 2000-2023, in local currency and USD

The value of overall card payments in Italy grew by 38 billion euros between 2022 and 2023. In 2023, approximately 353 billion euros worth of card payments were carried out in Italy.

Debit cards on the rise

While the number of credit cards fluctuated in the last few years in Italy, debit cards appear to have increased in popularity. In fact, after reaching an all-time low in 2014, the number of active credit cards in Italy grew in the following years, surpassing in 2019 the previous peak recorded in 2010. On the other hand, the number of active debit cards in the country increased steadily over the same period, reaching over 57 million in 2019.

Payment cards in Europe

Despite not being able to imagine life without cash, Italians recorded the second highest number of payment cards in the European Union, according to data published by the European Central Bank. The ranking shows that there is a total of approximately 85 million payment cards in Italy. Only Germany recorded a higher figure: the country topped the list with 147 million.