First introduced as physical cash to 12 European countries in January 2002, the Euro is now celebrating its twentieth birthday as the currency of 19 EU countries and over 340 million people.
As of November 2021, the European Central Bank reported there were over 27.6 billion euro banknotes circulating with a combined value of 1,519 billion euros. Additionally, some 141 billion coins—worth around 31 billion euros—were in circulation, passing daily through wallets, cash registers and pockets across Europe. In fact, despite a rise in digital payment options, cash demand has risen sharply since the pandemic began.
