Annual credit card and debit cards issued in Portugal 2000-2021

Approximately two-thirds of payment cards issued in Portugal were credit cards, reaching a total of nearly 7.8 million in 2018. Debit cards were found more often in the country, as that year there were around 13 million of these cards. The numbers provided are estimates, based on the figures central banks have to supply. Owning a payment card does not immediately indicate it gets used often, as there are large differences within Europe when it comes to the use of certain payment methods. In the case of Portugal, there is a large overlap between debit and credit cards as both have a delayed debit function.