Credit card penetration in 161 countries worldwide 2011, 2014, 2017, 2021

Canada was one of three countries worldwide in 2021, where credit card ownership among consumers 15 years and up was over 70 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.