India had 10,397.01 lakh debit cards in circulation at the end of September 2026 (RBI), about 103.97 crore, up 1.5% from 10,248.09 lakh a year earlier. Credit cards were 1,253.15 lakh at the same date. The debit card count has risen every month since April 2026.
RBI counts cards outstanding with banks at the end of the month, in lakh (a lakh is a hundred thousand; a crore is ten million). It counts cards, not people, so one person can hold more than one.
The figures side by side
Measure
Figure
Source
Debit cards, September 2026
10,397.01 lakh
RBI, Payment System Indicators, September 2026
Debit cards, September 2025
10,248.09 lakh
RBI, Payment System Indicators, September 2026
Debit cards, end of March 2026
10,445.69 lakh
RBI, Payment System Indicators, September 2026
Credit cards, September 2026
1,253.15 lakh
RBI, Payment System Indicators, September 2026
How we got this number
Read 'Number of Cards: Debit Cards' in Part III (Payment Infrastructures) of RBI's Payment System Indicators for September 2026: 10,397.01 lakh.
Divide by a hundred to turn lakh into crore: 10,397.01 lakh is about 103.97 crore. Compare with the same month a year earlier (10,248.09 lakh) to get the 1.5% rise.
Put it next to the earlier months from RBI's monthly pages: 10,233.92 lakh in April, 10,279.08 in May, 10,318.66 in June, 10,333.11 in July and 10,368.29 in August 2026.
What this number does not tell you
RBI marks the payment system data as provisional, and earlier months can be revised in later pages.
The count is cards outstanding, not active cards or people. One person can hold several debit cards.
The count at the end of March 2026 was 10,445.69 lakh and it dipped in April 2026 (10,233.92 lakh). The RBI page does not say why.
The September 2026 data was on RBI's site by 31 October 2026, about a month after the period ended.
Sources
RBI, Payment System Indicators, September 2026 (Part III, payment infrastructures), September 2026 data; RBI page shows "Website last updated date: Oct 31, 2026" — columns: As on March 2026, September 2025, August 2026, September 2026 (lakh)PART III - Payment Infrastructures (lakh) | As on March 2026 | 2025 September | 2026 | 2026 August | September 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Payment System Infrastructures 1 Number of Cards | 11632.02 | 11383.16 | 11608.32 | 11650.16 1.1 Credit Cards | 1186.34 | 1135.07 | 1240.04 | 1253.15 1.2 Debit Cards | 10445.69 | 10248.09 | 10368.29 | 10397.01
RBI, Payment System Indicators, August 2026 (debit cards row), August 2026 data; RBI page shows "Website last updated date: Oct 31, 2026" — columns: As on March 2026, the same month in 2025, the previous month, this month (lakh)1.2 Debit Cards | 10445.69 | 10180.42 | 10333.11 | 10368.29
RBI, Payment System Indicators, July 2026 (debit cards row), July 2026 data; RBI page shows "Website last updated date: Oct 31, 2026" — columns: As on March 2026, the same month in 2025, the previous month, this month (lakh)1.2 Debit Cards | 10445.69 | 10127.27 | 10318.66 | 10333.11
RBI, Payment System Indicators, June 2026 (debit cards row), June 2026 data; RBI page shows "Website last updated date: Oct 31, 2026" — columns: As on March 2026, the same month in 2025, the previous month, this month (lakh)1.2 Debit Cards | 10445.69 | 10051.80 | 10279.08 | 10318.66
RBI, Payment System Indicators, May 2026 (debit cards row), May 2026 data; RBI page shows "Website last updated date: Oct 31, 2026" — columns: As on March 2026, the same month in 2025, the previous month, this month (lakh)1.2 Debit Cards | 10445.69 | 10003.70 | 10236.70 | 10279.08
RBI, Payment System Indicators, April 2026 (debit cards row), April 2026 data; RBI page shows "Website last updated date: Oct 31, 2026" — columns: As on March 2026, the same month in 2025, the previous month, this month (lakh)1.2 Debit Cards | 10445.69 | 9959.84 | 10445.69 | 10233.92
Worked out by us: 103.97 (10,397.01 lakh (RBI, September 2026) divided by a hundred, to give crore); 1.5 (10,397.01 lakh (September 2026) divided by 10,248.09 lakh (September 2025), less one, as a percentage: 1.45%, rounded to 1.5%).
Questions people ask
How many debit cards are there in India?
10,397.01 lakh (about 103.97 crore) at the end of September 2026, per RBI's Payment System Indicators.
How many credit cards are there in India?
1,253.15 lakh at the end of September 2026, per the same RBI page.
How often does RBI update this?
Every month. RBI publishes Payment System Indicators for a month about a month later.