The number of payment cards issued by financial institutions in the EU-27 was nearly 800 million in 2023. The value of payment card transactions in the Euro area reached over 2.71 trillion euros in 2022.
Debit over credit
Across most of Europe, payment cards almost exclusively consist of debit and credit cards. In 2019, debit cards accounted for approximately 68 billion payments in the European Union. The rise in cashless payments across Europe has continued to rise, as people enjoy the ease associated with non-cash transactions.
POS and ATM
With the rise of non-cash purchases, the need for more point-of-sale terminals has increased. As of 2019, there were almost16.9 million POS stations, processing payments across the European Union. On the other hand, as the need for physical cash has become less dominant, so has the need for ATM’s. Across the EU, the number of ATM’s has seen an annual decrease from 2014.
Number of cards with a payment function, except cards with an e-money function, in the European Union from 2000 to 2023
Issued by resident PSPs; The source significantly changed its database in November 2023. This may mean methodology changes, or not all EU-27 countries reporting the same figures.
Supplementary notes
The figures have been taken from several publications.
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ECB. (July 25, 2024). Number of cards with a payment function, except cards with an e-money function, in the European Union from 2000 to 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/444328/number-of-payment-cards-european-union/
ECB. "Number of cards with a payment function, except cards with an e-money function, in the European Union from 2000 to 2023." Chart. July 25, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/444328/number-of-payment-cards-european-union/
ECB. (2024). Number of cards with a payment function, except cards with an e-money function, in the European Union from 2000 to 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/444328/number-of-payment-cards-european-union/
ECB. "Number of Cards with a Payment Function, except Cards with An E-money Function, in The European Union from 2000 to 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 25 Jul 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/444328/number-of-payment-cards-european-union/
ECB, Number of cards with a payment function, except cards with an e-money function, in the European Union from 2000 to 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/444328/number-of-payment-cards-european-union/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Number of cards with a payment function, except cards with an e-money function, in the European Union from 2000 to 2023 [Graph], ECB, July 25, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/444328/number-of-payment-cards-european-union/
