Development of Banknotes in Circulation Since 1998, and By Regions

Currency News™ has published annual updates on the global demand for banknotes since 2017, but these updates have focused mainly on most recent trends. By contrast, this article will address the development of global note demand during a period covering close to three decades. The regular annual update will be published later this year, when the volume figures for 2025 are available.

This article illustrates another interesting theme, namely the development of global demand by regions. It is commonly noticed that there are two types of developments currently: currencies where the annual growth rate of notes in circulation is decreasing, but also currencies which have consistently high annual growth rates 1. Further light will be shed to this phenomenon by illustrating the development with four regional charts.