PayPal's users - tracked by way of active registered accounts - declined into the first quarter of 2024, but recovered over the course of the year Daily active users (DAU) can vary per country, however. PayPal use in the UK, for instance, was somewhat higher than in Germany but significantly higher than the DAU found in 19 other European countries. PayPal in general PayPal is a global online payment business allowing users to make payments and money transfers online. In 2002, PayPal was acquired by auction site eBay and has made great gains in visibility and online popularity since then. The service is often considered as the leader of the online and mobile payment market. Many retailers such as Best Buy and Home Depot and digital content sellers like Humble Bundle or Valve use PayPal as an in-store payment or digital wallet top-up method. Online payment providers usually generate revenue through transaction fees. Adoption Recently, brick-and-mortar retailers and shops have also begun to accept PayPal as a mobile payment method. As of December 2018, 36 percent of North American retailers already accepted PayPal as a payment method and 34 percent planned to accept it within the next 24 months. Customers are required to use their NFC-enabled mobile device to make a payment or use a PayPal card, which can also be swiped or touched in at physical point-of-sale locations. In 2018, the service's annual mobile payment volume amounted to 227 billion US dollars, representing a 46 percent growth compared to the previous year.

Monthly active users (MAU) of the PayPal app for Apple and Android mobile phones in the UK grew by around one million since April 2020. From February 2017 onwards, the number of MAU’s of the PayPal app in the UK has been on a downward trend, reaching a low of around 2.05 million MAU’s in April 2020.

Online banking in Great Britain

The penetration of online banking in Great Britain in the period between 2007 to 2020 has been continually increasing. In 2020, online banking has become the norm rather than the exception, with 76 percent of respondents stating they use online banking. Compared to 2007, this is a 46 percentage point increase in the number of people utilizing online banking services. As of March 2018, the most popular online banking app was Barclay’s Mobile Banking. Approximately seven million persons are users of the Barclay’s mobile app each month in the UK. Out of all age groups surveyed in the UK, young millennials, or those aged being 18 and 26 years old, were the most frequent users who switched to online mobile apps for banking payments from 2018 to 2019. In 2019, 41 percent of young millennials reported using online mobile apps, up nine percent from the year prior. Whereas only five percent of baby boomers reported using online banking mobile apps in 2019.

Reason for preferring cashless payments

As with online banking apps, many UK consumers also prefer paying with online methods such as digital or e-wallets. In 2019, of those UK consumers surveyed, 51 percent stated they prefer digital wallets over other payment methods due to its convenience. This is not surprising as most persons almost always have their phones with them and paying via digital wallets means less time rummaging through pockets, purses and wallets in order to find the correct card or amount.

Daily active users (DAU) of the PayPal app were significantly higher in the United Kingdom and Germany than those of other European countries in 2019. Figures for both countries were over 300,000 DAU, whereas France had around 96,000. Europe had different digital payment methods or mobile wallets, but PayPal is widely considered to be one of the few that sees use among many different countries across the European continent.

COVID-19 led to a dramatic increase in the daily active users (DAU) of PayPal apps on iOS and Android among European users, but at varying degrees. This according to numbers calculated from Airnow PLC. Big surges can be observed, for example, in Turkey, France, and Belgium, whereas Poland barely showed an increase. In 2019, figures for the United Kingdom and Germany were already significantly higher than those of other European countries. Europe has many different digital payment methods or mobile wallets. Overall, debit cards rank as the most popular online payment method, with mobile fintech applications being slightly more popular than credit cards. PayPal is widely considered to be one of the few apps that sees use among multiple countries in the European continent. Payment options in Europe In theory, PayPal can be used in every country on the European continent except for Belarus. Note, however, that several countries offer domestic payment options that work both offline as well as online. Comparing the many payment brands within Europe shows how different each European country is in this. Visa and MasterCard, globally regarded as leading brands in payments, had varying market shares across Europe in 2018. Sometimes their market share was significantly lower than domestic payment card schemes. In Denmark, for example, domestic card scheme Dankort (a payment card as well as a mobile wallet) had a market share of 68 percent (combining offline and online payments). In short, PayPal is available in Europe but might have domestic alternatives that very per country. Differences in European (cross-border) e-commerce PayPal use in Europe is very much connected to e-commerce. Like for payment methods, however, there are many differences in online shopping in Europe. In 2019, the United Kingdom was Europe's biggest B2C e-commerce market in absolute terms, followed by Germany. This picture changes somewhat when looking at the share of e-commerce within a country's GDP, however. Then, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium join the UK and France as countries where online shopping made up more than three percent of GDP. Differences are even larger for cross-border e-commerce. Smaller European states, such as Malta, Cyprus, Montenegro, Luxembourg, and Iceland were most likely to buy something online from a foreign seller, either from within or outside the EU. Consumers from Turkey, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden, on the other hand, tended to buy more from domestic sellers.

PayPal reported its strongest growth in 2020, with an annual revenue that increased by over 20 percent year-on-year. The digital payment provider’s biggest revenue segment is transaction revenues, which amounted to about 19 billion U.S. dollars during the most recently measured period. PayPal usage in online shoppingWith 305 million active registered user accounts, PayPal is one of the biggest digital payment providers worldwide. The company enables users to make online, mobile and peer-to-peer payments, and is a popular payment method for digital purchases on sites ranging from eBay to Amazon. As of December 2018, 36 percent of North American retailers were already accepting customer payments via PayPal and 34 percent were intending to do so within the next two years. PayPal is particularly useful for international purchase payments as not every online user has access to a credit card and local payment methods offered by online sellers can differ. In 2018, 19 percent of PayPal's payment volume was generated through cross-border transactions.

PayPal adoption for online shopping in the United States continued to decline in early 2024, making it less popular as a payment method. This is according to two different questions asked throughout multiple surveys from Statista's Consumer Insights. The numbers shown here refer to the share of respondents who indicated they used PayPal in the past 12 months, either for POS transactions with a mobile device in stores and restaurants or for online shopping. More than half of the respondents from the U.S. indicated they had used PayPal in a POS setting between July 2023 and June 2024 - with an additional seven out of 10 saying they used PayPal during this same time for online payments.

This data shows results of the Consumer Insights Global survey conducted in the United States in 2023. As of December that year, some 20 percent of PayPal users stated to be between 18-29 years of age. Access millions of exclusive survey results with Statista Consumer Insights.

BNPL was Germany's third-most used payment method in e-commerce in 2022, all but replacing credit cards. Germany has several online shopping apps available, some of which offer their own payment methods. Some of the more popular shopping apps based on daily active users, for example, include Amazon, Zalando, and Wish. PayPal, especially, is a big player in Germany. Important for buy now, pay later (BNPL) is the inclusion of Klarna — known to some Germans as SOFORT. BNPL in Germany: Klarna a major name Consumers from Germany were significantly more likely to say they used Klarna than consumers from other countries in the world, except for the Nordics. The Swedish BNPL brand acquired Germany's SOFORT in 2014, establishing them relatively early in the European country. This is reflected in the behavior of local merchants: Over 20 percent of all the websites in the world that use Klarna as a check-out option originate from Germany. PayPal, however, also offers a BNPL option in Germany since 2022, called PayPal Ratenzahlung. This enables users to pay for purchases up to 1,000 euros in 30 days, potentially impacting Klarna's market position in future years. A2A payments in Germany: No domestic brand Similar to the United Kingdom, Germany's account-to-account payments rely on global brands as the country does not have a strong local offering. PayPal, again, is popular in this regard, even though Apple Pay adoption in Germany has also gradually increased over time. Germany does have an A2A alternative — Giropay — based on its domestic debit card scheme. This ranked relatively low, however, when compared to other preferred brands for online shopping in the country.

PayPal adoption for online shopping in Germany was lower in 2024 than it was in early 2020, although it remained a popular solution for consumers. This is according to two different questions asked throughout multiple surveys from Statista's Consumer Insights. The numbers shown here refer to the share of respondents who indicated they used PayPal in the last 12 months, either for POS transactions with a mobile device in stores and restaurants or for online shopping. Almost half of the respondents from Germany indicated they had used PayPal in a POS setting between July 2023 and June 2024 - with an additional 89 percent of the respondents saying they used PayPal during this same time for online payments.

PayPal adoption for in store shopping in France was higher in 2024 than it was in early 2020, further cementing it as a popular solution for consumers. This is according to two different questions asked throughout multiple surveys from Statista's Consumer Insights. The numbers shown here refer to the share of respondents who indicated they used PayPal in the last 12 months, either for POS transactions with a mobile device in stores and restaurants or for online shopping. Almost four out of 10 respondents from France indicated they had used PayPal in a POS setting between July 2023 and June 2024 - with an additional eight out of 10 saying they used PayPal during this same time for online payments.

PayPal adoption in Poland was slightly higher in 2024 than it was in early 2020, as it remained as a popular solution for consumers. This is according to two different questions asked throughout multiple surveys from Statista's Consumer Insights. The numbers shown here refer to the share of respondents who indicated they used PayPal in the last 12 months, either for POS transactions with a mobile device in stores and restaurants or for online shopping. 35 percent of the respondents from Poland indicated they had used PayPal in a POS setting between July 2023 and June 2024 - with an additional seven out of 10 saying they used PayPal during this same time for online payments.

The Netherlands' BNPL market has increasingly been overtaken by Klarna - nearly reaching one million downloads in 2024. What stands out here is that the Netherlands is one of the few countries in Europe where the Swedish payment app received more downloads than any other app. PayPal Pay in 4 is not available in the country while PayPal in itself, generally speaking, is not the most used method to pay for online shopping within the country. A local player of note is Riverty, which up to 2022 was called AfterPay. This led to confusion with Australia's Afterpay - which also happens to be active in BNPL and credit services. Potentially due to this confusion with its Australian counterpart, the Dutch/German AfterPay changed its name in 2022 to Riverty.

The payment gateway market in India is witnessing a boom due to increased internet usage and growing awareness of online transactions. The integration of payment processors is now vital for businesses, facilitating secure transactions through customers' preferred banks. The 'Digital India' initiative has spurred the adoption of transaction platforms and services, though digital infrastructure needs strengthening in smaller cities and rural areas. The competitive market includes players like PayU, Paytm, Razorpay, PayPal India, and CCAvenue, who are expanding their market share through strategic partnerships, investments, and product launches.

In a January 2021 survey in the U.S., five times more respondents stated they have at some point used PayPal than Apple Pay. PayPal is indeed a well-known brand in the United States, even more so than its own subsidiary Venmo. Regardless, the user base of digital payment methods grew in 2020. PayPal's users worldwide - tracked by way of active registered accounts - continued to increase in 2020, growing by nearly 24 percent y-o-y in the fourth quarter of 2020. At the same time, global iPhone users that activated Apple Pay grew by more than 65 million people in 2020.

AliPay and WeChat Pay are believed to remain dominant mobile payment methods in China, as they are forecast to reach a combined user base of nearly 2.5 billion users. The apps, owned respectively Ant Financial and Tencent Holdings, were estimated to account for over 90 percent of Chinese mobile payments, making the country the largest for proximity mobile payment use. Part of their success and early adoption was their connection with the WeChat and Alibaba ecosystem: Both Alipay and WeChat stem from what originally was a social platform and do not need a separate stand-alone app to function. This concept of "an app within an app" is different from, say, PayPal in the United States that originally functioned outside of an app like Amazon.

How many people use Apple Pay? Global iPhone users that activated Apple Pay grew by more than 65 million people in 2020. This according to an estimate that also assumes active iPhones grew by nine percent during 2020, alongside a worldwide increase of contactless payments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Note that the figures are an estimate, as precise figures are unavailable. Apple itself does not communicate user figures, and banks that provide the Apple Pay service are contractually forbidden to share user information. Hence why Apple Pay market shares in, for example, Europe tend to be based on consumer survey results.

Which country uses Apple Pay the most?

As there is little to no information on a country level regarding Apple Pay use, one could potentially answer this by looking at proximity mobile payments – contactless in-store payments from consumer to merchant, either with a card or a smartphone – at large. It is estimated that China was the global leader in proximity mobile payments in 2019, with a penetration rate that was twice as high as that of runner-up Denmark. It is unlikely, though, that Apple Pay plays a big role in China given the popularity of apps like Alipay and Tenpay.

Apple Pay seemingly less used than some of its competitors

If China is unlikely to have many Apple Pay users, how is this for Denmark – the country with the second-highest penetration rate in proximity mobile payments? In 2019, Apple Pay was also not one of the most popular payments apps in Denmark: Nine percent of Danish respondents said they used the Cupertino payment solution at some point as opposed to 85 percent of domestic solution MobilePay. This also holds true for one of the world’s largest payment markets. According to a January 2021 survey, PayPal use among U.S. consumers exceeded other payment options: Five times more respondents stated they at some point used PayPal rather than Apple Pay.

According to a survey among cross-border e-commerce enterprises in 2021, PayPal was the leading digital payment platform in the Philippines, with 74 percent of the enterprises using it. WorldFirst had the largest market share in China, at 43 percent in 2021.

E-commerce payment methods

E-commerce payments amount to over half of all digital payments in Asia. International digital payment services are a vital part of cross-border e-commerce. Digital or mobile wallet is the most popular e-commerce payment method in the Asia-Pacific region and is projected to keep expanding.

Popular digital payment platforms

With over 400 million active user accounts worldwide, PayPal is a leading digital payments service provider for cross-border e-commerce enterprises in all big six Southeast Asian countries. Interestingly, when there is a smaller presence of PayPal, there is a larger one of WorldFirst. Since the UK-founded international payments giant, WorldFirst, was bought by Ant Group, it has gained a significant market share in Asia, specifically in Japan, South Korea, and China.

Along with PayPal, Payoneer is another U.S.-based digital payment platform gaining popularity in Asia. Besides the international platforms, the leading home-grown digital payment platforms that are prominent in the Asia-Pacific scene include Alipay, the leading digital payments app for consumers in China, LianLian Global, and Airwallex.

Die Anzahl der aktiven Accounts des Online-Bezahldienstes PayPal belief sich im vierten Quartal 2024 auf 434 Millionen. Im Vergleich zum Vorjahresquartal ist die Zahl der aktiven PayPal-Accounts um acht Millionen gestiegen. Das Transaktionsvolumen steigt ebenso ungehemmt weiter, wodurch die Rekordumsätze von Paypal im Jahr 2024 weiter fortgeführt werden. Weitere Kennzahlen zu PayPal Den Großteil des Umsatzes erwirtschaftete das Unternehmen im US-amerikanischen Heimatmarkt. Den Gewinn bezifferte PayPal im Jahr 2024 mit knapp 4,2 Milliarden US-Dollar. Seit Ende September 2023 ist Alex Chriss neuer CEO von Paypal und zeigt sich zufrieden mit dem Quartalsergebnis - sein Fokus wird auf der Steigerung von Effizienz im Sinne schnellerer Innovationen und profitablen Wachstums liegen. Beliebteste Zahlungsmöglichkeiten bei Online-Bestellungen in Deutschland Hierzulande werden laut einer Umfrage Online-Bestellungen am liebsten per PayPal oder ähnlichen Payment-Anbietern bezahlt. Die Zahlung auf Rechnung folgte im Jahr 2023 auf Platz zwei.

The most common mobile payment app in Norway is called Vipps. The app was developed by the Norwegian bank DNB and was launched in 2015. The app was used by 78 percent of Norwegians as of September 2019 and had around 107 thousand daily active users as of January 2020. The second most common payment app in the country was PayPal, which was used by 26 percent.

Payment methods in Norway

How do people pay in Norway? As of 2019, card payments were without a doubt the most common payment method in the country, followed by cash, and mobile payment apps. By that time, 85 percent of all transactions in Norway was made by payment cards. Nine percent of the payments were made by cash and four percent by mobile payment apps.

Card payments

What payment cards do Norwegians use? Most of all payment card transactions in Norway in 2018 were made through cards with a debit function. The number of debit card payments amounted to more than two billion, while credit card payments, the second most common card payment type, amounted to around 264 million.

The Philippines is among the countries in Southeast Asia seeing sustained growth in mobile payment transactions. In 2023, GCash accounted for 89 percent of the total mobile wallet application market. Meanwhile, its closest competitor, Maya, held a five percent share. The rise of mobile wallets in the Philippines Alternative payment services have given Filipinos access to financial services usually provided only by banks. In particular, most Filipinos with a formal account in 2021 said they have an e-money account, compared to those with a bank account. E-money, which is stored in a digital wallet or on a card, enables users to easily make in-store payments as well as transfer and receive money online. In the Philippines, GCash had the highest monthly active users in 2022, followed by Maya. The popularity of such banking options is reflected in the forecast number of mobile wallet users in the country. Consumer preference for e-payment methods  A 2022 survey among Filipino consumers reflected a growing interest in using digital payment methods, especially due to its convenience, easy-to-use platforms, and fast transactions. The same survey revealed that GCash and PayPal were the leading e-payments or e-wallets used in the Philippines.