Credit Card Ownership Statistics in United Kingdom (2026)

In 2021, 62.1% of adults in the United Kingdom owned a credit card, according to World Bank Global Findex data. Down from 65.4% in 2017 to 62.1% in 2021 (−3.3 percentage points). United Kingdom ranks #5 of 46 economies in Europe & Central Asia on this measure, and #11 of 142 globally.

Key Statistics

Latest value (2021): 62.1% (2021); Credit Card Ownership in the United Kingdom as of 2021, the most recent observation in World Bank Global Findex data.
Change since 2017: −3.3 pp (2021); Down from 65.4% in 2017 to 62.1% in 2021 (−3.3 percentage points).
Earliest value in this dataset (2011): 51.6% (2011); Earliest observation in this dataset, which covers 1990 onward (the source series may begin earlier). Up from 51.6% in 2011 to 62.1% in 2021.
Peak value (2017): 65.4% (2017); Highest value in the available series; the 2021 value is 62.1%.
Rank in Europe & Central Asia: #5 of 46 (2021); The United Kingdom ranks 5 of 46 countries in Europe & Central Asia with data, based on each country's latest value.
Global rank: #11 of 142 (2021); The United Kingdom ranks 11 of 142 countries with data globally.
Europe & Central Asia average: 33.3% (2021); The United Kingdom (62.1%) is above the average of 33.3% across the 46 countries in Europe & Central Asia with data.
Among women (2021): 64% (2021); Value for women in the United Kingdom, same 2021 World Bank Global Findex data.
Among men (2021): 60.1% (2021); Value for men in the United Kingdom, same 2021 World Bank Global Findex data.
Gender gap (women minus men): +3.9 pp (2021); In 2021, the figure was 64% for women and 60.1% for men — 3.9 percentage points higher among women.
Internet use in the United Kingdom (2024): 95.5% (2024); 95.5% of the population in the United Kingdom used the internet in 2024 (World Bank); shown for context only.
Population (2024): 69.2 million (2024); The United Kingdom had a population of 69.2 million in 2024 (World Bank); shown for scale only.

Trend, 2011–2021

Credit Card Ownership in United Kingdom by year (% of adults (age 15+))
Year	% of adults (age 15+)	Change
2021	62.1%	−3.3 pp
2017	65.4%	+3.7 pp
2014	61.7%	+10.1 pp
2011	51.6%	—

Fig. 1 — Credit Card Ownership in United Kingdom, 2011–2021

Frequently asked questions

What share of adults in the United Kingdom owned a credit card?

62.1% of adults in the United Kingdom owned a credit card in 2021, according to World Bank Global Findex data.

Is there a gender gap in credit card ownership in the United Kingdom?

Yes — in 2021 the figure was 64% for women and 60.1% for men, a gap of 3.9 percentage points in favor of women.

When did credit card ownership in the United Kingdom peak?

The highest value in the available series was 65.4% in 2017; the latest (2021) value is 62.1%.

How recent is the credit card ownership data for the United Kingdom?

The most recent observation is from 2021. World Bank Global Findex data is reported with a lag, so 2021 is the latest available year for the United Kingdom.

Where does the credit card ownership data for the United Kingdom come from?

The data comes from the World Bank Global Findex (indicator fin10). The latest observation for the United Kingdom is from 2021; the snapshot was retrieved on 2026-06-10.

Source & methodology

Source: World Bank Global Findex, indicator fin10, retrieved 2026-06-10.

Figures are shown exactly as published in the source dataset; only the change column of the trend table is computed from adjacent published values.Read more on the methodology page. All figures are estimates and projections; this is not financial advice.

Last updated 2026-06-10.