In the first half of 2015 a total of 454,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation –10.5 per cent down on the figure for the second half of 2014, but still higher than in the first half of 2014.

The number of counterfeits continues to remain very low in comparison with the increasing number of genuine banknotes in circulation (over 17 billion during the first half of 2015).

The €20 and €50 continued to be the most counterfeited banknotes. Compared with the figures reported for the second half of 2014, the proportion of counterfeit €20 notes decreased slightly, and that of counterfeit €50 notes increased. Together, they accounted for 86 per cent of the counterfeits.

A new €20 banknote will be issued as from November 25, 2015.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.