In the second half of 2012 a total of 280,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation. This means that the overall quantity of counterfeits withdrawn from circulation in 2012 was 12.4% lower compared with the figures for 2011. At the same time, there was an increase of 11.6% as regards the quantity recovered in the second half of 2012 compared with the previous six months.
| Period | 2009/2 | 2010/1 | 2010/2 | 2011/1 | 2011/2 | 2012/1 | 2012/2 |
| Number of Counterfeits | 447,000 | 387,000 | 364,000 | 296,000 | 310,000 | 251,000 | 280,000 |
The €20 and €50 denominations continue to be the most counterfeited. During the past six months, the share of counterfeit €20 banknotes remained the same and the share of counterfeit €50 banknotes increased. The two most counterfeited denominations together accounted for 82.5% of the total during the second half of 2012. The €100 banknote is the third most counterfeited denomination, accounting for 13.0% of the total. The share of the other denominations (€5, €10, €200 and €500) is very low.
The majority (97.5%) of counterfeits recovered in the second half of 2012 were found in euro area countries, with only around 2% being found in EU Member States outside the euro area and 0.5% being found in other parts of the world.
When compared with the number of genuine euro banknotes in circulation (on average 14.9 billion during the second half of 2012), the proportion of counterfeits remains very low. Nevertheless, the Eurosystem – i.e. the European Central Bank (ECB) and the 17 national central banks of the euro area – continues to advise the public to remain alert with regard to the banknotes received in cash transactions.
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