Buy now, pay later (BNPL) statistics

How many people use buy now, pay later in the UK?

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) usage is growing fast in the UK so we carried out some research to see if buy now, pay later providers are disrupting the credit card industry and how we pay for products. Here are the latest BNPL statistics.

BNPL statistics: Highlights

  • In 2024, around 380 million people use BNPL services globally. This is predicted to increase to 670 million by 2028.
  • As of 2025, 2 in 5 UK adults (42%) have used BNPL services at some point, approximately 22.6 million people. This is up from 36% at the start of 2023.
  • A further 1 in 10 Brits (9%) intend to use BNPL in the future. This would take the total number of users to half of the population (51%).
  • 1 in 3 Brits (31%) used BNPL services in the year to January 2024, and 14% used it for the first time in this period.
  • Over half of people who used BNPL in 2023 paid a late fee (53%), an estimated 10.6 million people.
  • The UK BNPL market is forecast to grow from £29.85 billion ($38.76 billion) in 2024 to £47.27 billion ($61.39 billion) by 2029.
  • 49% of Brits have not used BNPL and are unsure if they will use it in the future.

How many people use buy now, pay later in the UK?

According to our 2025 survey, 2 in 5 UK adults (42%) have used BNPL at some point, which equates to around 22.6 million people. This number is up from an estimated 19.1 million (36%) at the start of 2023.

31% of Brits had used BNPL in the 12 months leading to January 2024, and 13% of Brits had used BNPL services for the first time in this period.

58% of Brits have never used BNPL and only 9% of this group are currently considering using it in the future. 14% admit they will not consider it, while 35% are still unsure.

Have you used BNPL? Percentage
I have used BNPL 42%
I have not used BNPL and do not intend to use it 14%
I have not used BNPL, but I might use it 9%
I have not used BNPL and am unsure about future use 35%

How many people use buy now, pay later around the world?

In 2024, around 380 million people use BNPL services globally. This is predicted to grow to 670 million by 2028, an increase of 107% in 4 years.1

Our research shows that BNPL is most popular with millennials (aged 28-43) – 3 in 5 have used buy now, pay later services at some point, with half (50%) using BNPL in the past year. It’s also popular with generation Z (aged 18-27) as well over half of this group (56%) have used BNPL at some point with 2 in 5 (39%) using it in the past year.

BNPL is also relatively popular with generation X (aged 43-54), as more than half of this group (52%) has used it before. However, the payment service is less popular among the older generations, with 3 in 10 baby boomers (31%) and less than 1 in 10 from the silent generation (9%) admitting to using it.

Generation Percentage using BNPL
Generation Z 56%
Millenials 63%
Generation X 40%
Baby boomers 20%
Silent generation 10%

Adoption of BNPL among different age groups

The highest percentage of new BNPL users can be also be seen among millennials, as 1 in 5 from this group (20%) have used this service for the first time in the 12 months to January 2025. Interestingly, 17% of those in generation Z had used BNPL services at some point but not in the past year. This means that there are fewer new users (attracted in than past year).

Age group Existing BNPL users New BNPL users Past BNPL users
Generation Z 23% 16% 17%
Millenials 31% 20% 13%
Generation X 16% 13% 12%
Baby boomers 9% 5% 6%
Silent generation 6% 4% 0%

How many BNPL users pay late fees?

Many BNPL providers have introduced late repayment fees, including Klarna, which began charging them in March 2023.

Our 2024 survey found that in the last 12 months, more than half (53%) of those who had used BNPL had been charged fees, with average fees per person adding up to £23.50.

This means an estimated 10.6 million Brits could have paid late fees in the previous 12 months, shelling out an eye-watering total of almost £250 million.

The use of buy now, pay later is highest in London, where more than half of residents (53%) have used it at some point, and lowest in the East of England, where 3 in 10 residents (31%) have used it at some point. Aside from this, there is not too much regional variation when it comes to BNPL usage.

Region Percentage using BNPL
Greater London 52.7%
Northern Ireland 50.9%
West Midlands 45.4%
South West 44.9%
Scotland 44.0%
North West 42.5%
Wales 40.8%
East of England 39.1%
East Midlands 38.9%
Yorkshire and the Humber 38.3%
South East 37.5%
North East 30.9%

Buy now, pay later market size in the UK

The UK buy now, pay later market is forecast to grow from £29.85 billion ($38.76 billion) in 2024 to £47.27 billion ($61.39 billion) by 2029, with an annual growth rate of 9.8%.2

Methodology

  • Finder commissioned Censuswide in January 2025 to carry out a nationally representative survey of adults aged 18+. A total of 2,006 people were questioned throughout Great Britain, with representative quotas for gender, age and region.
  • Finder previously commissioned Censuswide in January 2023 to carry out a nationally representative survey of adults aged 18+. A total of 2,000 people were questioned throughout Great Britain, with representative quotas for gender, age and region.

Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact –

Matt Mckenna
UK Head of Communications
T: +44 20 8191 8806

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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Holly Jennings as part of our fact-checking process.
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Sophie Barber is a content marketing manager for Finder in the UK. She has over 5 years experience in writing and publishing clear, concise and informative articles that help consumers make informed decisions. See full bio

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