Paypal Statistics & Trends 2025
Founded in 1998, PayPal has become a leading fintech platform, changing how we make online payments. What was once seen as a risky idea quickly proved its value, leading to eBay’s $1.5 billion purchase of the company in 2002. A key aspect of PayPal’s history involves Elon Musk, who co-founded X.com. His leadership in merging X.com with Confinity led to the creation of PayPal.
Today, PayPal operates in 200+ countries, supports 25 currencies, and has processed $1.68 trillion in payments over the past year. It has 434 million active users, including 35 million merchants. PayPal’s revenue for the year 2024, was $31.8 billion, reflecting continued growth into 2025.
Discover more about PayPal’s statistics and growth insights in our detailed analysis below.
PayPal Statistics (Top Picks)
- PayPal has 434 million active users and 35 million active merchants.
- In Q3 2024, PayPal processed approximately 6.6 billion transactions, totaling $423 billion in TPV.
- For the third quarter of 2024, PayPal reported revenue of $7.8 billion, a 6% increase year-over-year.
- The platform holds a 45.4% market share in online payment processing.
- PayPal operates in 200+ countries, supporting 25 currencies.
PayPal Overview
| Category | Details |
| What They Are | Online payment system |
| Founded | December 1998 (as Confinity) |
| Founders | Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek, Yu Pan, Elon Musk, Ken Howery, Harris Fricker, Christopher Payne, Ed Ho |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, US |
| Active Users (2024) | 434 million |
| Industry | Financial Technology |
| Employee Count (2024) | 27,200 |
| Latest Revenue Amount | $.8.4 billion |
Sources: Statista, PayPal, Companies Market Cap, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
How Does PayPal Work?
PayPal handles digital payments globally, making online transactions seamless for businesses and individuals alike. As of 2024, PayPal processed $1.68 trillion in total payment volume (TPV) over the trailing twelve months, showcasing its robust presence in the fintech industry. Merchants can easily integrate PayPal to offer multiple payment options, while consumers benefit from secure and convenient transactions at millions of online stores.
Source: United States Securities And Exchange Commission
PayPal User and Usage Stats
PayPal’s 434 million active user base includes a mix of demographics, with a significant portion being Millennials. The usage of the platform varies by country, with Germany and Mexico showing high online payment activity. See the detailed statistics below for more insights.
Number of PayPal Users
As of the fourth quarter of 2024, PayPal reported 434 million active accounts worldwide in over 200 markets.
| Quarter | PayPal Users | Percentage Change |
| Q4 2024 | 434 million | 0.4% |
| Q3 2024 | 432 million | 0.7% |
| Q1 2024 | 427 million | -1.4% |
| Q4 2023 | 426 million | -2.1% |
| Q3 2023 | 428 million | -0.9% |
| Q2 2023 | 431 million | 0.5% |
| Q1 2023 | 433 million | 0.9% |
| Q4 2022 | 435 million | 2.1% |
| Q3 2022 | 432 million | 3.8% |
| Q2 2022 | 429 million | 6.5% |
| Q1 2022 | 429 million | 9.4% |
| Q4 2021 | 426 million | 13% |
| Q3 2021 | 416 million | 15.2% |
| Q2 2021 | 403 million | 16.5% |
| Q1 2021 | 392 million | 20.6% |
Source: Paypal
PayPal User Demographics
55.1% of PayPal users are male while 44.9% are female.
If we divide PayPal users by age group we see that the platform's largest user age group is 25 to 34 years old. On the other hand, people aged over 65 make up the smallest user share on the platform.
Here is a table showing PayPal's user distribution by age group:
| Age Group | Percentage |
| 18-24 | 19.02% |
| 25-34 | 27.56% |
| 35-44 | 18.96% |
| 45-54 | 15.59% |
| 55-64 | 11.34% |
| 65+ | 7.53% |
Source: SimilarWeb
PayPal Pay In 4 Demographics
Pay in 4 is PayPal’s Pay Later option that lets customers split purchases into four interest-free payments. New research shows its popularity among all age groups.
In 2022, PayPal analyzed 289,000 US Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) users and found:
- Millennials and Gen Z make up 51% of Pay in 4 users.
- BNPL also has a similar story, millennial and Gen Z shoppers made up between 50% to 60% of BNPL users, with Gen X representing 30% to 35% of users.
- 24% of GenZ users prefer short-term installments over long-term ones to avoid revolving debts.
- Gen X comprises 35% of PayPal Pay in 4 users.
Source: PayPal
PayPal Users by Country
PayPal is used more frequently for online payments in Mexico and Germany than in the United States. Nearly 5 out of 10 consumers from Germany replied they had used PayPal in a store or restaurant between January 2024 and December 2024, with nearly nine out of ten stating they had used PayPal for online payments. German websites accept PayPal for online payments more frequently than other countries.
Explore the table below to see the percentage of PayPal usage in stores and online across various countries:
| Country | Stores, Restaurants, Other POS (%) | Online (%) |
| Mexico | 63% | 82% |
| Germany | 49% | 90% |
| Italy | 48% | 88% |
| United States | 56% | 78% |
| South Africa | 50% | 80% |
| Spain | 41% | 86% |
| France | 38% | 86% |
| Austria | 34% | 80% |
| Canada | 33% | 80% |
| United Kingdom | 30% | 81% |
| Australia | 31% | 80% |
| Poland | 33% | 77% |
| Switzerland | 31% | 76% |
Source: Statista
How Many Merchants Use PayPal?
Currently, there are 35 million merchant accounts on PayPal, up by 169% from 2015 when the platform had 13 million active merchants.
PayPal’s revenue from merchant services reached $29.8 billion in 2023, marking an 8.19% year-on-year increase.
Here’s a brief overview of the growth in PayPal merchant accounts over the years:
| Year | PayPal Merchant Accounts |
| 2015 | 13 million |
| 2016 | 15 million |
| 2017 | 18 million |
| 2018 | 21 million |
| 2019 | 24 million |
| 2020 | 30 million |
| 2021 | 33 million |
| 2022 | 35 million |
| 2023 | 35 million |
Source: US Securities and Exchange Commission
Number of Websites Using PayPal
As of December 2024, approximately 13.5 million live websites worldwide use PayPal as a payment option. In January 2025, there were about 8.6 million live websites using PayPal for online payments. While nearly 2 million U.S. websites are projected to offer PayPal as a payment method, they comprised about 15% of websites in that country.
Switzerland has the highest share of websites using PayPal, with 30.26% of all websites that offer at least one payment acceptance. India also shows a notable adoption rate, with 29.36% of websites using PayPal. This highlights PayPal’s growing presence in the Indian market.
Here is a table showing the number and share of websites using payment acceptance or processor technology by country:
| Country | Number of Websites | Share of All Websites with Payment Technology (%) |
| United States | 1,055,029 | 9.29 |
| United Kingdom | 306,841 | 22.98 |
| Germany | 262,806 | 28.06 |
| Australia | 222,815 | 22.44 |
| Canada | 126,447 | 24.66 |
| Italy | 110,614 | 26.72 |
| Brazil | 110,446 | 14.69 |
| France | 98,566 | 23.98 |
| Netherlands | 75,598 | 23.74 |
| India | 71,902 | 29.36 |
| Russia | 65,769 | 18.04 |
| Spain | 61,640 | 23.22 |
| Switzerland | 47,694 | 30.26 |
Source: Statista
PayPal Revenue Statistics
In Q3 2024, PayPal reported revenue of $7.85 billion, a 6% increase year-over-year. For the twelve months ending September, the company's revenue reached $31.46 billion, marking an 8% increase compared to the previous 12 months.
| Metric | Value |
| Quarterly Revenue | $8.4 billion |
| Total Payment Volume | 10% |
| Net Revenue Increase ( Q4 2024 ) | 4% |
| Net Revenue Increase | 7% |
| Year on Year Growth | 6.73% |
Source: PayPal
PayPal Annual Revenue
PayPal’s annual revenue stands at $31.7 billion as of 2024, a 6.73% growth from 2023. This total includes $2.91 billion earned from other services. Non-transactional revenue saw a year-over-year growth of 9% from 2023. Over the last five years, PayPal’s revenue has experienced an annual growth rate of 14%. Here is a decade-long overview of PayPal’s annual revenue and growth:
| Fiscal Year End | Revenue | Change | Growth |
| 2024 | $31.7B | $1.9B | 6.48% |
| 2023 | $29.77B | $2.25B | 8.19% |
| 2022 | $27.52B | $2.15B | 8.46% |
| 2021 | $25.37B | $3.92B | 18.26% |
| 2020 | $21.45B | $3.68B | 20.72% |
| 2019 | $17.77B | $2.32B | 15.02% |
| 2018 | $15.45B | $2.36B | 18.00% |
| 2017 | $13.09B | $2.25B | 20.77% |
| 2016 | $10.84B | $1.59B | 17.24% |
| 2015 | $9.25B | $1.22B | 15.24% |
| 2014 | $8.03B | $1.30B | 19.30% |
| 2013 | $6.73B | $1.07B | 18.81% |
Source: Business of Apps
PayPal Quarterly Revenue
As of Q3 2024, PayPal reported a quarterly revenue of $7.85 billion, a 6% increase from the previous year.
Explore the table below for PayPal's quarterly revenue figures:
| Quarter | Revenue (US $) |
| Q4 2024 | $8.400 billion |
| Q3 2024 | $7,850 billion |
| Q2 2024 | $7,900 billion |
| Q1 2024 | $7,699 billion |
| Q4 2023 | $8,026 billion |
| Q3 2023 | $7,418 billion |
| Q2 2023 | $7,287 billion |
| Q1 2023 | $7,040 billion |
| Q4 2022 | $7,383 billion |
| Q3 2022 | $6,846 billion |
| Q2 2022 | $6,806 billion |
| Q1 2022 | $6,483 billion |
| Q4 2021 | $6,918 billion |
| Q3 2021 | $6,182 billion |
| Q2 2021 | $6,238 billion |
| Q1 2021 | $6,033 billion |
| Q4 2020 | $6,116 billion |
| Q3 2020 | $5,459 billion |
| Q2 2020 | $5,261 billion |
| Q1 2020 | $4,618 billion |
| Q4 2019 | $4,961 billion |
| Q3 2019 | $4,378 billion |
| Q2 2019 | $4,305 billion |
Source: PayPal
PayPal Transaction Statistics
In the fourth quarter of 2024, PayPal's total payment volume (TPV) increased 7%. This shows a steady upward trend in the number of transactions PayPal is processing, even though the year-on-year growth rate has been gradually tapering off over time. Below is a table showing the number of PayPal transactions and year-on-year percentage changes from 2021 to 2024:
| Quarter | Number of Transactions | Year-on-Year % Change |
| Q4 2024 | 6619 million | -2.63% |
| Q3 2024 | 6,600 million | 6% |
| Q2 2024 | 6,600 million | 8% |
| Q1 2024 | 6,505 million | 11.5% |
| Q4 2023 | 6,798 million | 12.7% |
| Q3 2023 | 6,275 million | 11.2% |
| Q2 2023 | 6,074 million | 10.2% |
| Q1 2023 | 5,834 million | 13.0% |
| Q4 2022 | 6,032 million | 12.9% |
| Q3 2022 | 5,643 million | 15.2% |
| Q2 2022 | 5,513 million | 16.4% |
| Q1 2022 | 5,161 million | 18.1% |
| Q4 2021 | 5,343 million | 21.2% |
| Q3 2021 | 4,900 million | 22.1% |
| Q2 2021 | 4,735 million | 26.5% |
| Q1 2021 | 4,371 million | 34.0% |
Source: PayPal
Total Payment Volume Of PayPal
In the fourth quarter of 2024, PayPal's Total Payment Volume (TPV) grew 7 % and reached $437.8 billion. TPV increased by 10% (both with and without foreign exchange impact) to a total of $1.68 trillion.
Please review the table below to see PayPal's Total Payment Volume (TPV) and year-on-year percentage changes:
| Quarter | TPV (in U.S. dollars) | Year-on-year percentage change |
| Q4 2024 | 437.8 billion | 6.82% |
| Q3 2024 | 422.6 billion | 9% |
| Q2 2024 | 416.8 billion | 11% |
| Q1 2024 | 403.86 billion | 13.9% |
| Q4 2023 | 409.83 billion | 14.7% |
| Q3 2023 | 387.7 billion | 15.1% |
| Q2 2023 | 376.54 billion | 10.8% |
| Q1 2023 | 354.51 billion | 9.8% |
| Q4 2022 | 357.38 billion | 5.3% |
| Q3 2022 | 336.97 billion | 8.7% |
| Q2 2022 | 339.79 billion | 9.3% |
| Q1 2022 | 322.98 billion | 13.1% |
| Q4 2021 | 339.53 billion | 22.5% |
| Q3 2021 | 309.91 billion | 25.6% |
| Q2 2021 | 310.99 billion | 40.3% |
| Q1 2021 | 285.45 billion | 49.8% |
Source: Statista
As of December 2024, PayPal has processed around $1.24 trillion in payments for the year. This figure is derived from their quarterly Total Payment Volume (TPV) numbers:
- Q1 2024: $403.9 billion
- Q2 2024: $416.8 billion
- Q3 2024: $422.6 billion
- Q4 2024 $437.8 billion
With $437.8 billion TPV for Q4, PayPal's total payment volume reached $1.68 trillion in 2024.
Source: PayPal
PayPal Market Share
As of January 2025, PayPal leads the global online payment processing market with a 45% share. Stripe came in second place with a market share of approximately 17%. Shopify Pay Installments followed closely, with 14.6% of the market, highlighting its significant role in the e-commerce sector.
Here is a table showing the market share of different payment options across tracked web domains:
| Platform | Share of Payment Platforms |
| PayPal | 45% |
| Stripe | 17% |
| Shopify Pay Installments | 14.6% |
| Amazon Pay | 3.8% |
| Afterpay | 1.3% |
| Stripe Checkout | 1.3% |
| Braintree | 1.2% |
| Klarna | 1.0% |
| Remise | 1.0% |
| HiperCard | 0.8% |
| Authorize.net | 0.8% |
| Sezzle | 0.7% |
| LawPay | 0.5% |
Source: Statista
PayPal Employee Statistics
PayPal employs 24,400 people globally. Of these, 55.9% identify as male, 44.0% as female, and 0.07% as non-binary.
PayPal operates in 200 countries and has 45 offices worldwide. Millennials make up 58% of PayPal's employees. The workforce is diverse, with 55% White, 17% Asian, and 15% Hispanic or Latino employees.
37.5% of PayPal’s workforce, or 10,200 employees, were based in the United States.
Source: CapitalOne
PayPal Acquisitions
| Company | Description |
| Venmo | Mobile payment app acquired in 2013 |
| Braintree | Payment gateway service acquired in 2013 for $800M |
| Xoom | Digital money transfer service acquired in 2015 for $890M |
| Honey | Coupon-finding browser extension acquired in 2020 for $4B |
| Zettle | Mobile POS solutions acquired in 2018 for $2.2B |
| Hyperwallet | Global Payout Solutions acquired in 2018 for $400M |
| Simility | Fraud prevention solutions acquired in 2018 for $120M |
| Curv | Cryptocurrency security company acquired in 2021 |
| Paidy | Japanese BNPL service acquired in 2021 for $2.73B |
Additional PayPal Facts
- eBay acquired PayPal in 2002 for $1.5 billion.
- PayPal spent over $4 billion to acquire the Chrome extension Honey.
- PayPal's stock price increased by 116% in 2020.
- PayPal invested $500 million in Uber.
- The highest share price for PayPal was $304.79 in February 2021.
Source: ThriveMyWay
What Lies Ahead
Looking ahead, PayPal aims to strengthen its position in the fintech sector by leveraging new technologies and market trends. Integrating AI and machine learning will enhance user experiences and improve fraud detection. The growing use of digital wallets and contactless payments is expected to boost PayPal’s transaction volumes. With strategic market expansions and continuous innovation, PayPal is well-prepared for the evolving digital economy. Analysts predict steady growth and an increased market share, ensuring PayPal remains a leading force in global payments.
