Number of counterfeit euro banknotes continues to be low in 2024

Some 554,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation in 2024. The likelihood of receiving a counterfeit is low, as the number of counterfeits is very small in proportion to genuine euro banknotes in circulation. In 2024, 18 counterfeits were detected per million genuine banknotes in circulation, which is very low compared with the levels observed following the launch of the euro (see chart).

Although the proportion is very small, the actual number of counterfeits has increased compared with the past few years, when the number of counterfeits was exceptionally low following the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, the number of counterfeits remains lower than in the years leading up to the pandemic.

€20 and €50 denominations continued to be the most commonly counterfeited, together accounting for more than 75% of the total (see table). 97.8% of the counterfeits were found in euro area countries, while 1.3% were found in non-euro area EU Member States and 0.9% in other parts of the world.