Global transaction value of buy now, pay later (BNPL) in e-commerce from 2014 to 2025, with a forecast for 2030 (in billion U.S. dollars)

The global buy now, pay later (BNPL) market size is predicted to increase by nearly ** percent between 2025 and 2030. Regardless, BNPL reached a global market share of around **** percent in 2025 - with ***** out of 10 top global buy now, pay later markets worldwide being located in northwestern Europe. The market share of BNPL services in domestic e-commerce payments in both Sweden and Germany, for instance, was around *** times higher than the market share in global e-commerce payments.

Big international names, local competition?

Common names that spring to mind when it comes to BNPL include Klarna (Sweden), Affirm (United States), and Afterpay (Australia), as all three providers had millions of active users in 2025. The three are sometimes joined by Zip (United States) in some sources. These apps are popular in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Europeans, for instance, downloaded Klarna significantly more than other BNPL apps available to them. 

Uncertainty going forward

It is uncertain whether the initial success of buy now, pay later will hold. In May 2022 - shortly after the figures provided here were released - Klarna announced it would cut roughly 10 percent of its global staff, with CEO and co-founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski citing an expected decline in consumer spending driven by the war in Ukraine and rising inflation. The company has since recovered, going public in 2025. Regardless, some experts still fear that the option to defer payments may be too enticing for low-income households - especially in times of financial uncertainty.