Global Findex Database 2025: Connectivity and Financial Inclusion in the Digital Economy

This report, the fifth edition of the Global Findex, provides a comprehensive overview of digital connectivity and financial inclusion worldwide, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income economies. It highlights how mobile phones and the internet are transforming financial services, enabling more people to access and use digital financial tools for saving, borrowing, and making payments. The report is based on nationally representative surveys of approximately 145,000 adults across 141 economies, conducted in 2024.

Key Findings and Data:

1. Financial Access and Account Ownership:

  • Global Account Ownership: In 2024, 79% of adults worldwide have an account at a bank, similar financial institution, or with a mobile money provider, a significant increase from 51% in 2011.
  • Low- and Middle-Income Economies: Account ownership in these economies reached 75% in 2024, up from 42% in 2011.
  • Mobile Money’s Impact: Mobile money accounts are a major driver of this increase. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 40% of adults had a mobile money account in 2024 (up from 27% in 2021), and in Latin America and the Caribbean, 37% of adults had one (up from 22% in 2021).
  • Digitally Enabled Accounts: More than half of all accounts in low- and middle-income economies are now digitally enabled (usable with a card or phone).
  • Unbanked Population: Despite progress, 1.3 billion adults worldwide still lack financial accounts, with over 650 million of them residing in just eight economies (Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, and Pakistan).
  • Barriers to Account Ownership: The most common reason for not having an account is a lack of money (cited by 59% in Sub-Saharan Africa for mobile money accounts, and commonly in other regions for bank accounts). Other barriers include high fees, distance to financial institutions, and lack of necessary documentation.

2. Digital Connectivity (Mobile Phone Ownership & Internet Use):

  • Mobile Phone Ownership: Worldwide, 86% of adults own a mobile phone (84% in low- and middle-income economies). Most own smartphones, though basic phones are still prevalent in regions like South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Internet Use: 67% of adults in low- and middle-income economies used the internet in the past three months, primarily via smartphones (92% of smartphone owners use the internet).
  • Digital Divide: Poorer adults are 8 percentage points less likely than wealthier adults to own a phone, and women are 9 percentage points less likely than men in low- and middle-income economies. Income is a greater driver of phone ownership (especially smartphones) than gender.
  • SIM Card Ownership: 23% of mobile phone owners in low- and middle-income economies have SIM cards registered in someone else’s name, posing a barrier to accessing certain digital services.
  • Digital Activities: Social media is the most popular digital activity after texting (used by 45% of all adults). Other activities include reading news online (39%), online learning (26%), and accessing government services (18%). Only 6% of adults use apps or websites to earn money.
  • Barriers to Smartphone/Internet Use: The cost of the device is the biggest barrier to smartphone ownership. High data costs also limit frequent internet use, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

3. Financial Use (Saving, Borrowing, Payments):

  • Saving: 40% of adults in low- and middle-income economies saved formally in an account in 2024, a 16 percentage point increase from 2021. Mobile money accounts are significantly contributing to this trend.
  • Borrowing: 24% of adults in low- and middle-income economies borrowed formally (from a bank, credit card, or mobile money account) in 2024. An additional 35% relied on informal sources like family or friends.
  • Digital Payments: 62% of all adults (82% of account owners) in low- and middle-income economies made or received at least one digital payment in 2024, a 27 percentage point increase from 2014.
  • Digital Merchant Payments: Adoption of digital merchant payments (to businesses in stores or online) grew to 42% of all adults in 2024, up from 35% in 2021.
  • Digitalization of Government/Wage Payments: About 75% of government payment recipients and half of private-sector wage recipients in low- and middle-income economies received payments directly into accounts.

4. Digital Safety and Financial Health:

  • Passwords: Only 60% of mobile phone owners in low- and middle-income economies use passwords on their devices. In Sub-Saharan Africa, only about half of mobile money account owners protect their phones with passwords.
  • Scams: 19% of phone owners in low- and middle-income economies reported receiving scam or extortion messages, though few lost money.
  • Financial Resilience: Only 56% of adults could easily access extra money for unexpected events, a figure unchanged since 2021.

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