Canada was one of three countries worldwide in 2021, where credit card ownership among consumers 15 years and up was over ** percent. This according to a major survey held once every three years in over 140 different countries. The results highlight the major differences in how countries prefer to pay: In Europe, for instance, the Nordics, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom are regarded as top credit card countries, whereas the Netherlands ranked significantly lower than all these countries. Credit card usage Cardholders use their credit cards for billions of purchase transactions per year. Some do this to avoid carrying cash around, while others carry out transactions. Many also use credit cards because they do not have to pay immediately. While this can help with monthly cash flow issues, it can also lead to credit card debt that can take years to pay off. Regional differences in credit cards Some counties have a culture of credit card usage. For example, the leading credit card companies in the United States have issued hundreds of millions of credit cards, more than the number of U.S. citizens. Other countries do not have the culture of non-cash transactions. Overcoming this requires both an investment in payment infrastructure and putting people in the habit of using cards instead of cash.

Introduction

Credit Card Statistics: A credit card is a widely used financial tool that allows consumers to make purchases or withdraw cash on credit, accruing debt to be repaid later. As of Q4 2024, Americans held approximately USD 1.21 trillion in credit card debt, marking a 4% increase from the previous year. The average credit card balance per consumer reached USD 6,730, up by 3.5% from 2023.

In the same period, the number of credit card accounts in the U.S. rose to about 617 million. Globally, Visa and Mastercard have approximately 1.3 billion and 1.1 billion credit cards in circulation, respectively. Credit cards accounted for 32% of all payment transactions in 2023, reflecting their significant role in consumer spending. However, 22% of credit card users make only minimum payments, indicating potential financial strain. Additionally, credit card delinquency rates rose to 3.6% in Q4 2024, highlighting challenges in debt repayment. These statistics underscore the importance of responsible credit card usage and financial management.

Credit cards also allow customers to build a debt balance that is related to the interest being charged. Let’s shed more light on “Credit Card Statistics†through this article.

When it comes to credit card users in the United States, ** percent of 18 - 29 year olds do so in the U.S. This is according to exclusive insights from the Consumer Insights Global survey which shows that ** percent of 30 - 49 year old consumers also fall into this category.Statista Consumer Insights offer you all results of our exclusive Statista surveys, based on more than ********* interviews.

India Cards: Volume: Credit Card: Usage at POS data was reported at 230.266 Unit mn in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 199.996 Unit mn for Feb 2025. India Cards: Volume: Credit Card: Usage at POS data is updated monthly, averaging 48.909 Unit mn from Apr 2004 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 252 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 230.266 Unit mn in Mar 2025 and a record low of 9.570 Unit mn in Apr 2004. India Cards: Volume: Credit Card: Usage at POS data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Reserve Bank of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Monetary – Table IN.KAI012: Card Payments.

Credit Card Transaction: Quarterly: Volume data was reported at 9,502.716 Unit mn in Jun 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 9,301.651 Unit mn for Mar 2022. Credit Card Transaction: Quarterly: Volume data is updated quarterly, averaging 6,627.430 Unit mn from Mar 2019 (Median) to Jun 2022, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9,502.716 Unit mn in Jun 2022 and a record low of 4,705.638 Unit mn in Jun 2020. Credit Card Transaction: Quarterly: Volume data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of Brazil. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.KAA001: Credit Card Statistics.

The number of credit cards in use in India was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total *** million cards (+**** percent). After the fifteenth consecutive increasing year, the number is estimated to reach ***** million cards and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the number of credit cards in use of was continuously increasing over the past years.Shown is the estimated number of credit cards currently in use.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to *** countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

India Cards: Value: Credit Card: Usage at POS data was reported at 714,730.077 INR mn in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 621,249.131 INR mn for Feb 2025. India Cards: Value: Credit Card: Usage at POS data is updated monthly, averaging 150,620.000 INR mn from Apr 2004 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 252 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 792,928.079 INR mn in Oct 2024 and a record low of 18,290.000 INR mn in Apr 2004. India Cards: Value: Credit Card: Usage at POS data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Reserve Bank of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Monetary – Table IN.KAI012: Card Payments.

Israel Number of Credit Cards not in Use data was reported at 2,402,317.000 Unit in Mar 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,284,837.000 Unit for Dec 2017. Israel Number of Credit Cards not in Use data is updated quarterly, averaging 2,122,150.000 Unit from Sep 2014 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,402,317.000 Unit in Mar 2018 and a record low of 1,730,188.000 Unit in Sep 2014. Israel Number of Credit Cards not in Use data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of Israel. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Israel – Table IL.KA007: Credit Card Statistics.

Credit Card Accounts in the United States increased to 631.39 Million in the first quarter of 2025 from 617.41 Million in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United States Credit Card Accounts.

The average for 2021 based on 36 countries was 46.87 percent. The highest value was in Canada: 82.74 percent and the lowest value was in Lithuania: 11.89 percent. The indicator is available from 2011 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Graph and download economic data for Large Bank Consumer Credit Card Balances: Total Balances (RCCCBBALTOT) from Q3 2012 to Q1 2025 about FR Y-14M, consumer credit, credit cards, large, balance, loans, consumer, banks, depository institutions, and USA.

Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Abroad Usage: Commercial Banks data was reported at 9,943.610 THB mn in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 7,642.330 THB mn for Sep 2018. Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Abroad Usage: Commercial Banks data is updated monthly, averaging 6,463.465 THB mn from Jan 2012 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 82 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,157.640 THB mn in Apr 2018 and a record low of 2,219.460 THB mn in Jan 2012. Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Abroad Usage: Commercial Banks data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of Thailand. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.KA012: Credit Card Statistics.

The credit card penetration in the United States was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total *** percentage points. After the seventh consecutive increasing year, the credit card penetration is estimated to reach ***** percent and therefore a new peak in 2029. The penetration rate refers to the share of the total population who use credit cards.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to *** countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the credit card penetration in countries like Canada and Mexico.

Daily Card Payments by Irish Households. A subset of the monthly Card Payment Statistics. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic created the need for timely, high-frequency data, such as the Daily Credit and Debit Card Statistics, to better understand the impact of the pandemic on personal expenditure and economic activity. This high-frequency daily Credit and Debit Data captures expenditure of euro-denominated credit and debit cards issued to Irish residents. The dataset consists of total daily debit and credit card spending and ATM withdrawals, while from 1 October 2020, expenditure in a number of key sectors of the economy, and a split of online and in-store spending is also available.

Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Abroad Usage: CB: Affinity Card data was reported at 8,710.750 THB mn in May 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 10,157.640 THB mn for Apr 2018. Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Abroad Usage: CB: Affinity Card data is updated monthly, averaging 6,361.540 THB mn from Jan 2012 (Median) to May 2018, with 77 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,157.640 THB mn in Apr 2018 and a record low of 2,219.460 THB mn in Jan 2012. Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Abroad Usage: CB: Affinity Card data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of Thailand. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.KA012: Credit Card Statistics.

Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Abroad Usage: CB: Bank Card data was reported at 0.000 THB mn in May 2018. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 THB mn for Apr 2018. Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Abroad Usage: CB: Bank Card data is updated monthly, averaging 0.000 THB mn from Jan 2012 (Median) to May 2018, with 77 observations. Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Abroad Usage: CB: Bank Card data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of Thailand. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.KA012: Credit Card Statistics.

Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Domestic Usage (DU) data was reported at 132,834.070 THB mn in May 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 129,784.690 THB mn for Apr 2018. Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Domestic Usage (DU) data is updated monthly, averaging 57,961.545 THB mn from Jan 1998 (Median) to May 2018, with 218 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 172,293.040 THB mn in Dec 2017 and a record low of 10,356.347 THB mn in May 1999. Thailand Credit Card: Spending Value: Domestic Usage (DU) data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of Thailand. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.KA012: Credit Card Statistics.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Loans: Credit Cards and Other Revolving Plans, All Commercial Banks (CCLACBW027SBOG) from 2000-06-28 to 2025-07-09 about revolving, credit cards, loans, consumer, banks, depository institutions, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Large Bank Consumer Credit Card Balances: Utilization: Active Accounts Only: 75th Percentile (RCCCBACTIVEUTILPCT75) from Q3 2012 to Q1 2025 about FR Y-14M, consumer credit, large, utilities, percentile, balance, loans, consumer, banks, depository institutions, and USA.

According to a survey conducted in Japan in December 2023, over 60 percent of the respondents used their credit cards to pay for online shopping. Around ** percent of consumers reported using their credit cards to pay for purchases made at department stores or consumer electronics retailers.