Quarterly number of Visa issued credit cards in U.S. and worldwide 2008-2024

Roughly one out of three of all Visa credit cards issued worldwide were found within the United States, as of the first quarter of 2024. The value inside the U.S. has remained constant over the past few years. In the third quarter of 2016, the number of international cards increased by over 25 percent.

Why does the number of cards matter?

The number of cards gives a crude idea of market saturation. For example, the number of cards in the United States is close to the total population, meaning that there is one VISA credit card for every man, woman, and child in that country. While many have more than one credit card and small children probably will not use such payment methods, this still gives a rough idea that the U.S. market may not hold much growth potential.

International credit card market

The world market has billions more consumers than the United States, but the number of Visa cards in circulation does not reflect this. The main reason is that other credit companies, such as MasterCard, are present in these markets. Moreover, lower rates of credit card ownership can be observed in many countries. Fintech companies, working on innovative ways of providing credit to consumers, should also be considered.