Visa is one of the world’s largest digital payments networks, connecting consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and governments across more than 220 countries and territories. It does not issue cards directly to consumers. Instead, Visa provides the payment network and infrastructure that financial institutions use to issue Visa-branded credit, debit, and prepaid cards.
This page compiles the most important Visa statistics and facts, including cards in circulation, payment volume, annual transaction totals, revenue, net income, and historical growth trends.
How many cards does Visa have in circulation?
Visa had 4.9 billion payment credentials worldwide as of FY25 Q4 (card data at June 30, 2025), according to Visa’s fact sheet.
Visa key statistics (latest snapshot)
| Metric | Latest Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Countries and territories served | 220+ | FY25 Q4 |
| Payment credentials (cards) worldwide | 4.9 billion | FY25 Q4 |
| Total volume | $16.7 trillion | 12 months ended Sept. 30, 2025 |
| Total transactions | 329 billion | 12 months ended Sept. 30, 2025 |
| Merchant locations | 175 million+ | FY25 Q4 |
| Net revenue | $39.2 billion | Fiscal year 2025 |
| Net income | $20.4 billion | Fiscal year 2025 |
| Employees | 34,800 (approx.) | As of Sept. 30, 2025 |
Quick answer: What is Visa?
Visa is a global payments technology company that operates a transaction processing network (VisaNet). It enables electronic payments between consumers, merchants, banks, and other institutions in physical stores, online, and through mobile devices. Visa earns revenue primarily from services tied to payment volume, data processing, and cross-border transactions rather than issuing cards directly to consumers.
Visa facts and statistics
Number of Visa employees:
34,800 employees (approx.) (2025)
Number of countries and territories Visa operates in / serves:
220+ countries and territories (FY25 Q4)
Number of Visa payment credentials (cards) worldwide:
4.9 billion (FY25 Q4)
Merchant locations that accept Visa:
175 million+ merchant locations (FY25 Q4)
Visa annual total volume:
- 2025: $16.7 trillion
- 2023: $14.5 trillion
- 2022: $13.8 trillion
- 2021: $13.0 trillion
- 2020: $11.347 trillion
- 2019: $11.599 trillion
- 2018: $11.2 trillion
- 2017: $10.3 trillion
- 2016: $8.1 trillion
- 2015: $7.3 trillion
- 2014: $7.1 trillion
- 2013: $6.7 trillion
- 2012: $6.2 trillion
Total annual Visa transactions:
- 2025: 329 billion
- 2023: 255 billion
- 2022: 240 billion
- 2021: 232 billion
- 2020: 185.362 billion
- 2019: 180.585 billion
- 2018: 124.3 billion
- 2017: 111.2 billion
- 2016: 83.2 billion
- 2015: 70.9 billion
- 2014: 64.9 billion
- 2013: 58.4 billion
- 2012: 53.3 billion
Visa annual revenue:
- 2025: $39.2 billion
- 2023: $31.00 billion
- 2022: $29.310 billion
- 2021: $24.105 billion
- 2020: $21.846 billion
- 2019: $22.977 billion
- 2018: $20.609 billion
- 2017: $18.358 billion
- 2016: $15.082 billion
- 2015: $13.880 billion
- 2014: $12.702 billion
- 2013: $11.778 billion
- 2012: $10.421 billion
- 2011: $9.188 billion
- 2010: $8.065 billion
Visa annual net income:
- 2025: $20.4 billion
- 2023: $15.80 billion
- 2022: $14.957 billion
- 2021: $12.311 billion
- 2020: $10.866 billion
- 2019: $12.080 billion
- 2018: $10.301 billion
- 2017: $6.699 billion
- 2016: $5.991 billion
- 2015: $6.328 billion
- 2014: $5.438 billion
- 2013: $4.980 billion
- 2012: $2.144 billion
- 2011: $3.650 billion
- 2010: $2.966 billion
Average amount of transactions Visa processes daily (older reported estimate):
$30.3 billion (2019)
Visa growth trends at a glance
Visa’s long-term growth is visible across all major metrics: total payment volume, annual transactions, and financial results. The company’s payment credentials, acceptance footprint, and transaction scale continue to expand globally as digital payments replace cash and checks in more markets.
Compared with earlier years in the 2010s, Visa now operates at a significantly larger scale, with trillions in annual payment volume and hundreds of billions of annual transactions processed through its network.
What drives Visa’s revenue?
Visa’s revenue is generated primarily from network-related fees, including service revenues, data processing revenues, international transaction revenues, and other value-added services. Because Visa generally does not lend directly to cardholders, its business model differs from traditional banks and credit card issuers.
FAQ about Visa
How many Visa cards are there in the world?
Visa reported 4.9 billion payment credentials worldwide in its FY25 Q4 fact sheet.
How much payment volume does Visa process?
Visa reported $16.7 trillion in total volume for the 12 months ended September 30, 2025.
How many transactions does Visa process per year?
Visa reported 329 billion total transactions for the 12 months ended September 30, 2025.
How much revenue does Visa make?
Visa reported $39.2 billion in net revenue for fiscal year 2025.
Does Visa issue credit cards directly?
No. Visa operates the payment network, while banks and other financial institutions issue Visa-branded cards to consumers and businesses.
Sources
- Visa Fact Sheet (FY25 Q4)
- Visa Annual Report 2025 (annualreport.visa.com)
- Visa investor relations filings and historical earnings releases