UnionPay Statistics 2026: Cards, Share, and Global Reach

UnionPay International now distributes, according to UnionPay International’s November 2024 disclosure, over 250 million cards in 83 countries and regions outside mainland China, with cards usable for payments in 183 countries and regions. Drawing on filings per the People’s Bank of China and per the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, UnionPay sits at the center of mainland China’s interbank network and is the only card scheme linking every Chinese bank ATM nationwide. The Shanghai-based network now leads every other card scheme on raw acceptance breadth as of November 2024.

The data tracked according to the Nilson Report puts UnionPay at a 33.15% share of global brand-card purchase transactions in the first half of 2024, second only to Visa’s 38.66%. Mainland UnionPay clearing volume sits at the multi-trillion-RMB scale per quarter according to People’s Bank of China data. A new Visa Direct corridor opens into mainland China, according to Visa Inc., and Getnet is rolling out Iberian acceptance per Santander Group.

Key Takeaways

• UnionPay International cards reach 183 countries and regions worldwide, with 99 countries supporting UnionPay mobile payment products.
• Issuance outside mainland China stands at over 250 million cards in 83 countries and regions, up from more than 150 million cards in 67 countries outside mainland China.
• UnionPay’s share of global brand-card purchase transactions was 33.15% in the first half of 2024, the second-largest behind Visa.
• In mainland China, the UnionPay interbank payment system processed 89.258 billion transactions worth RMB66.04 trillion in Q4 2024 alone, per the People’s Bank of China.
• Regional acceptance density runs at 95% in Asia-Pacific, 80% in Europe, and 80% in North America, a four-fold merchant expansion since 2012.
• A new Visa Direct deal with UnionPay International, announced on February 3, 2026, opens cross-border money movement into more than 95% of UnionPay debit cardholders in mainland China.

Editor’s Choice

• Over 250 million UnionPay cards have been issued outside mainland China.
• 183 countries and regions accept UnionPay cards.
• 33.15% of all global brand-card purchase transactions ran on UnionPay in H1 2024.
• UnionPay processed 89.258 billion transactions worth RMB66.04 trillion in Q4 2024 in mainland China.
• 2,600+ financial institutions partner with UnionPay International globally.
• 66.4 million in-store and online merchants outside mainland China accept UnionPay cards.
• Roughly 43% of UnionPay transactions occurred outside China in 2025, compared with only 0.5% in 2015.

UnionPay Global Card Footprint and Acceptance

• Cards reach 183 countries and regions worldwide, with 99 of those countries supporting UnionPay mobile payment products.
• Overseas card issuance has reached over 250 million in 83 countries and regions outside mainland China as of UnionPay International’s November 2024 disclosure.
• The merchant base outside mainland China expanded to 66.4 million in-store and online merchants, a fourfold increase since 2012.
• UnionPay International runs more than 2,600 partner institutions globally, up from 60 founding members in 2012.
• The brand has rolled out more than 170 UnionPay standard e-wallets outside mainland China.
• Online merchants supporting UnionPay sit at 22 million across more than 200 overseas markets.

Source: UnionPay International press releases, 2021 to 2024

UnionPay’s Share of Global Card Transactions

• UnionPay held 33.15% of global brand-card purchase transactions in the first half of 2024, second only to Visa’s 38.66%.
• Visa’s share slipped from 39.63% in the first half of 2023 to 38.66% in the first half of 2024.
• Combined, the six global brand-card networks generated 363.93 billion purchase transactions worldwide in H1 2024, a 13.1% year-on-year increase.
• Asia-Pacific, led by UnionPay, is projected to handle 520.14 billion purchase transactions in 2029, equal to 47% of the worldwide total.
• Total global brand-card transactions are projected to reach 1.109 trillion in 2029, a 43% rise over 776 billion transactions in 2024.
• Roughly 43% of UnionPay transactions occurred outside China in 2025, up sharply from 0.5% in 2015.

By the numbers: The first half of 2024 saw global brand-card purchase transactions climb 13.1% year on year to 363.93 billion, with UnionPay taking 33.15% of that volume. Roughly one in every three card swipes worldwide ran on the UnionPay network in that period; the data spans Visa, UnionPay, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, and Discover/Diners Club.

Don't chase the news. Let us curate it.

You get one weekly briefing with only the stories that matter. If the market is quiet, we skip it.

Email address

Get the Weekly Briefing - it's free!

✅ Join readers from Visa, Mastercard, Vanguard, and the FDIC.

Recent Developments

• On February 3, 2026, Visa and UnionPay International announced a Visa Direct agreement to enable cross-border money movement into mainland China, reaching more than 95% of UnionPay debit cardholders through a single connection.
• Santander’s Getnet and UnionPay International signed an agreement on November 20, 2025, to expand UnionPay acceptance across Spain and Portugal, including Spain’s transit network covering over 50% of the country’s public transport throughout 2026.
• Chinese tourism to the Iberian Peninsula is growing by over 15% each year, according to the same Getnet-UnionPay announcement.
• On June 18, 2026, UnionPay reported that more than 90,000 merchant terminals and 90% of ATMs in New Zealand accept UnionPay, with the University of Canterbury and Lincoln University newly enabling acceptance.
• UnionPay International enabled Alipay and Weixin Pay for UnionPay cards issued outside mainland China on November 5, 2024, with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China supporting the Weixin tie-in.

UnionPay Cardholder Base Outside Mainland China

• Overseas issuance crossed over 250 million cards in 83 countries and regions as of November 2024.
• The same overseas footprint stood at surpassing 230 million cards with issuance in 81 countries and regions outside mainland China in January 2024, up from exceeding 200 million cards in 78 countries and more than 150 million cards issued in 67 countries outside Mainland China.
• In the Asia-Pacific region, one in four newly issued bank cards in the Asia-Pacific region carries the UnionPay brand, and UnionPay accounts for 95% of all debit cards in Hong Kong and Macau SAR.
• Roughly 90% of purchases on UnionPay cards issued in Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and Central Asia take place locally rather than as cross-border travel spend.
• UnionPay’s Philippine partner Cebuana Lhuillier Rural Bank issued six million debit cards at the end of 2020, one of the largest single overseas issuance projects.
• UnionPay added more than 20 million new internationally issued cards since the beginning of 2022, with transaction rates exceeding pre-pandemic levels that year.

Mainland China Payment System Volume

• The People’s Bank of China reported the UnionPay interbank payment system processed 89.258 billion transactions in Q4 2024, totaling RMB66.04 trillion.
• That volume was +6.65% year on year by transaction count and +1.51% year on year by value per the same quarterly report.
• On a daily basis, the UnionPay interbank system handled 970 million transactions per day, totaling RMB717.856 billion in daily value in Q4 2024.
• Across all payment systems, China processed 409 billion transactions valued at RMB3,287.90 trillion in Q4 2024 alone.
• The PBoC also reported 14.951 billion total bank accounts nationwide at the end of Q4 2024, of which 14.84 billion were held by individuals.
• Non-cash payment instruments in mainland China handled 162.52 billion transactions in Q4 2024 across the payment systems the PBoC reports on.

Source: People’s Bank of China, Payment System Report Q4 2024

Key finding: The UnionPay interbank payment system processed 89.258 billion transactions worth RMB66.04 trillion in Q4 2024, up 6.65% in count and 1.51% in value year on year. The single-quarter mainland count alone is roughly 24 times the H1 2024 global brand-card transaction figure the Nilson Report tracks for the six tracked global brands combined, a reminder of how heavily the system leans on mainland traffic.

Regional Acceptance Rates

• Asia-Pacific acceptance density reached 95% of merchants accepting UnionPay across Asia-Pacific outside mainland China.
• Europe and North America acceptance both stand at 80% each, with European retail expansion accelerating after the Iberia partnership.
• In 2021, coverage in Europe, North America, and the Asia Pacific reached 70%, 70%, and 90%, respectively, meaning every region moved up by 10 percentage points in roughly two years.
• UnionPay launched cards in El Salvador as a recent issuance market noted in the January 2024 release, extending Latin American reach.
• QR mobile payments outside mainland China cover more than 8 million merchants in 93 countries and regions, including Brazil, Hungary, and Tajikistan.
• UnionPay acceptance rates in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America have collectively risen to approximately 80% per UnionPay’s 2024 internationalization update.

UnionPay Mobile Payment and QR Network

• More than 170 UnionPay standard e-wallets have launched outside mainland China, anchored by the unified UnionPay App.
• Over 16 million international merchants accept UnionPay QR or QuickPass contactless payments.
• QR payment acceptance now spans more than 8 million merchants in 93 countries, including over 30 new markets such as Brazil, Hungary, and Tajikistan.
• Online transaction volume on UnionPay International grew by nearly 15% year on year in 2020 as pandemic-era e-commerce demand spiked.
• Mobile payment transaction counts and volume in Hong Kong and Macau both grew by nearly 400% in transaction counts and volume during the pandemic as cash use receded.
• UnionPay mobile payment products recorded significant growth in transaction volume during the pandemic despite the decline in consumer spending in Hong Kong and Macao, according to the same UnionPay International release.

Source: UnionPay International press releases, 2021 to 2024

UnionPay vs Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB

• Among the six tracked global brand-card networks, Visa led at 38.66% of H1 2024 purchase transactions, and UnionPay followed at 33.15%.
• The remaining brands (Mastercard, American Express, JCB, and Discover/Diners Club) collectively accounted for the residual share of H1 2024 global purchase transactions. With Visa at 38.66% and UnionPay at 33.15%, the four other tracked brands collectively split the remaining 28.19% across the half-year window.
• UnionPay overtook Visa and Mastercard in 2015 in total value of payments made by customers, becoming the largest card payment processing organization by combined debit and credit card value.
• The shift toward international transactions has been steep: roughly 0.5% of UnionPay transactions occurred outside China in 2015, compared with about 43% in 2025.
• The combined global brand-card networks generated 363.93 billion purchase transactions in H1 2024, up 13.1% year on year, the highest growth rate the Nilson Report has recorded for the post-2020 cycle.

Source: Nilson Report midyear 2024

Partnerships and Cross-Border Infrastructure

• The Visa Direct and UnionPay International agreement layers on the broader cross-border payments corridor and is structured as a single-connection route reaching more than 95% of UnionPay debit cardholders in mainland China, with expected rollout in the first half of 2026.
• Santander Group’s Getnet, working with UnionPay International, plans UnionPay card acceptance at turnstiles and ticket readers from transit operators in Spain across trains, buses, metro, bikes, and parking, covering over 50% of the country’s public transport system through 2026.
• Chinese tourism to the Iberian Peninsula is growing by over 15% each year, the underlying demand signal driving the Getnet UnionPay acceptance build.
• In New Zealand, the network counts more than 90,000 merchant terminals and 90% of ATMs accepting UnionPay, with university acceptance newly enabled at the University of Canterbury and Lincoln University.
• The 2024 Weixin and Alipay tie-in lets international travelers link a local UnionPay card to Alipay or Weixin Pay and use QR payments inside mainland China with the same convenience as Chinese users.

For a broader context on how these corridors interact with mobile payment transactions, the supporting UnionPay infrastructure is now built into the public-transit and merchant layers of major markets rather than sitting only at the card-issuance edge.

How many UnionPay cards are issued globally?

UnionPay International reports over 250 million cards issued in 83 countries and regions outside mainland China as of November 2024. The mainland base sits on a UnionPay interbank payment system that processed 89.258 billion transactions in Q4 2024 alone. Most published UnionPay card-count figures only describe the overseas number; mainland issuance flows through bank-account aggregates rather than a discrete card tally.

In how many countries can a UnionPay card be used?

UnionPay International confirms acceptance in 183 countries and regions worldwide, with 99 of those countries supporting UnionPay mobile payment products. Cards are issued in 83 countries and regions outside mainland China, and merchants accepting the network total 66.4 million in-store and online merchants outside mainland China.

Is UnionPay larger than Visa or Mastercard?

By purchase-transaction share, UnionPay sits just behind Visa: Visa held 38.66% of global brand-card purchase transactions in the first half of 2024, with UnionPay second at 33.15% per the Nilson Report. By total value of payments made by cardholders, UnionPay overtook Visa and Mastercard in 2015 to become the largest card payment processing organization by combined debit and credit card value, because mainland clearing volume sits within the brand.

Conclusion

UnionPay’s footprint stretches across over 250 million overseas cards in 83 countries, acceptance in 183 countries and regions, and 99 mobile-payment-enabled markets, anchored by a mainland interbank payment system that cleared 89.258 billion transactions worth RMB66.04 trillion in a single quarter. Pairing the Nilson Report’s 33.15% global purchase-transaction share with PBoC mainland clearing volume gives readers a triangulated picture no single press release captures.

The next 12 months will turn on three carriers: The Visa Direct corridor into mainland China rolling out in the first half of 2026, the Iberia transit-acceptance build covering over 50% of Spain’s public transport system, and a steady international issuance trend that has added roughly 100 million net new overseas cards in about four years. CoinLaw’s longer-running coverage of cross-border card networks shows the pattern that compounds is infrastructure-first acceptance (turnstiles, ATMs, education partners) well before headline transaction numbers catch up; UnionPay’s deal flow tracks that pattern.