They also have "debit cards" (sometimes called "bank cards"), but those don't participate on your credit score, so if you want to rent or mortgage, you are forced to use credit cards. Sometimes e.g. to young students you will give a debit card, because there they can't get over the limit (that easily, but again they try to catch you on overdraft).

So yeah, this is the reason for why us people are on average so indebted.