I guess you don't truly understand what a debit card is ? Canadians are the biggest users of debit cards in the first world. With a debit card you can only spend what you have in your bank account. My CIBC debit card costs me a whopping $12.95 A YEAR in fees, and it is accepted world wide by ATMs on the Interact system. Try spending US currency in Malawi, Peru, Argentina , or Poland.
Actually Canada is the 7 th biggest users of debit cards in the western world.... 7 of the 20 highest using countries are in Europe...
1..Denmark
2. Netherlands
3. Sweden
4. Norway
5. NZ
6. Belgium
7, Canada
8. Australia
9. Austria
10. UK
Debit Card Penetration by Country [Feb 2024 Update] | Oberlo
According to a
recent analysis of debit card penetration by country, Denmark has the highest penetration rate, with 99%. This is defined as the percentage of people aged 15 and above who own at least one debit card. Credit card usage in Denmark is comparatively lower, with a penetration rate of 58.5%. In fact, data shows that whether they’re shopping online or in a physical store, debit and credit cards are Danes’ preferred payment method. In 2023, debit and credit cards accounted for nearly half (49%) of the total online transaction volume of B2C businesses.
Second on the list ranking debit card penetration by country is the Netherlands—98.3% of the population there owns debit cards. This is followed by Sweden and Norway, with penetration rates of 98.2% and 97.8%, respectively. New Zealand completes the top five, with 96.4%.
In joint sixth place on the ranking of debit card penetration by country are Belgium and Canada. 96.2% of the population of both countries possesses debit cards. Australia follows, with a rate of 95.9%. Austria and the United Kingdom round out the list, with 95.5%, each. Going further down the list, we see that just 13 countries have debit card penetrations of above 90%, with Germany, Singapore, and Ireland making up the other three.
Of these 10 countries topping the list ranking debit card penetration by country, seven are located in Europe. This highlights the continent’s high reliance on the payment method.