The volume of check payments in selected European countries as of 2020 varies by country. The highest use of this means of payment was recorded in France, where over 1.58 billion checks were written in 2019. As other forms of payment see an increase in use, such as debit card payments in the European Union, payments made with checks have declined throughout Europe.
Total number of check payments in 27 countries in Europe from 2000 to 2020
(in millions)
Characteristic
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
France
4,493.7
4,338.6
4,349.47
4,261.51
4,133.81
3,916.26
3,826.97
3,650.41
3,487.44
3,302.56
3,122.8
2,971.44
2,805.62
2,620.57
2,482.82
2,311.45
2,137.45
1,926.66
1,746.88
1,586.53
1,175.22
Italy
565.1
583.92
538.15
505.76
487.19
465.58
453.75
426.38
384.93
335.2
315.43
291.62
275.69
252.41
231.51
208.63
186.18
167
152.19
134
96.73
Portugal
323.15
307.91
283.75
269.29
252.99
232.04
208.52
189.2
167.88
144.08
127.53
106.66
88.69
83.29
74.34
65.69
59.98
53.73
48.02
41.97
31.73
Spain
197.4
166.7
168
176.96
214.42
198.8
164.27
153.46
136.04
113.35
103.49
94.65
83.8
76.13
76.2
69.25
64.28
60.77
48
43.4
30.5
Ireland
120.89
88
74.86
73.8
72.62
131.5
127
124.6
117.2
101.8
90.9
84.21
75.75
68.84
31.4
41.08
47.38
41.48
36.79
32.09
23.82
Malta
9.71
9.87
10.97
13.78
12.97
12.18
12.54
13.09
11.94
11.37
10.27
9.75
7.59
9.44
9.69
9.66
9.36
9.66
9.7
9.25
10.46
Cyprus
22.12
23.56
23.79
23.5
24.77
25.35
25.36
26.19
25.72
23.49
22.56
20.08
20.34
15.05
11.57
14.68
14.46
12.28
12.01
10.33
6.41
Germany
393.27
319.76
149.7
131.8
110.88
107.48
108.9
75.48
65.42
57.02
48.27
40.61
34.41
31.33
29.88
21.4
17.51
12.85
10.49
8.33
6.17
Greece
17.41
18.03
17.06
26.81
28.16
27.83
27.83
29.46
28.81
25.33
22.6
19.43
15.47
11.1
9.15
7.62
7.54
6.78
6.38
5.57
4.42
Romania
5.23
9.93
7.14
8.05
10.2
10.74
9.73
11.43
10.75
9.04
10.86
7.16
6.83
5.85
1.98
1.8
1.62
1.43
1.27
1.11
0.9
Belgium
70.73
60.05
28.91
23.72
19.14
15.69
13.4
10.59
8.82
7.94
7.2
6.5
5.44
4.28
2.85
2.45
1.95
1.45
1.14
0.83
0.51
Austria
12
9.9
6.7
6.6
5.9
6
6
3
3
2
2
2
1.78
1.61
1.31
1.14
0.99
0.82
0.67
0.51
0.28
Luxembourg
0.68
0.55
0.38
0.28
0.17
0.13
0.36
0.24
0.21
0.21
0.19
0.2
0.33
0.29
0.28
0.26
0.26
0.25
0.26
0.27
0.1
Czechia
2.5
2
0.3
0.32
0.36
0.45
0.43
0.37
0.32
0.28
0.67
0.66
0.63
0.6
0.54
0.34
0.21
0.17
0.14
0.12
0.08
Poland
8.06
4.84
2.31
1.67
0.4
0.31
0.2
0.17
0.23
0.25
0.19
0.11
0.11
0.1
0.11
0.1
0.1
0.09
0.08
0.07
0.05
Netherlands
14.16
5.35
0.07
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.18
0.19
0.2
0.15
0.09
0.08
0.06
0.02
Bulgaria
-
0
0
0
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.04
0.02
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
Finland
1.2
1
0.8
0.8
0.6
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.38
0.33
0.28
0.21
0.08
0.07
0.04
0.03
0.01
0
Slovenia
13.21
5.66
4.53
2.97
1.74
1.35
0.92
0.29
0.32
0.27
0.21
0.14
0.1
0.09
0.06
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0.01
0
Slovakia
0.18
0.14
0.14
0.09
0.07
0.13
0.11
0.09
0.08
0.06
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.04
0
0
0
0
0.03
0.02
0
Croatia
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.16
0.14
0.05
0.01
0.01
0
0
0
Hungary
0.12
0.08
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Latvia
0.1
0.1
0.06
0.05
0.05
0.04
0.03
0.03
0.03
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0
0
0
0
0
Sweden
2
2
2
1
1
0.92
0.81
0.81
0.8
0.7
0.4
0.4
0.2
0.1
0.02
0.08
0.06
0.05
0
0
0
Denmark
48.2
48.2
41.6
36.7
30
25.8
19.43
16.51
13.69
9.6
7.1
5.59
4.22
2.89
2.12
1.52
0.77
0.01
0
-
-
Lithuania
-
-
0.02
0.01
0.01
0
0.31
0.28
0.25
0.19
0.19
0.17
0.14
0.12
0.1
0.05
0.06
0.03
-
-
-
Estonia
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.03
0.03
0.02
0.01
0.01
0.01
0
0
0
0
0
-
0
0
0
0
0
-
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The graphic shown is interactive: Clicking on the country names, either adds or removes a country from the graphic; Due to Brexit, the source from 2020 onwards removed all figures that cover the United Kingdom
Supplementary notes
The figures have been taken from several publications.
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ECB. (July 23, 2021). Total number of check payments in 27 countries in Europe from 2000 to 2020 (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/443677/cashless-payment-with-checks-europe/
ECB. "Total number of check payments in 27 countries in Europe from 2000 to 2020 (in millions)." Chart. July 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/443677/cashless-payment-with-checks-europe/
ECB. (2021). Total number of check payments in 27 countries in Europe from 2000 to 2020 (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/443677/cashless-payment-with-checks-europe/
ECB. "Total Number of Check Payments in 27 Countries in Europe from 2000 to 2020 (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Jul 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/443677/cashless-payment-with-checks-europe/
ECB, Total number of check payments in 27 countries in Europe from 2000 to 2020 (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/443677/cashless-payment-with-checks-europe/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Total number of check payments in 27 countries in Europe from 2000 to 2020 (in millions) [Graph], ECB, July 23, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/443677/cashless-payment-with-checks-europe/
