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Hard Numbers: Americans use less cash, Africans heart mobile money, Indians accept fees, Norwegians cash out

October 14, 2022
Carlos Santamaria
Photo illustration of US dollar bills and coins.
Photo illustration of US dollar bills and coins.
Nicolas Economou via Reuters Connect

41: That's the percentage of Americans who say they don't use cash for any purchases in a given week, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Only 14% still pay for the bulk of their purchases with physical money, most of them likely low-income and unbanked.

70: Mobile payments might soon overtake card transactions in sub-Saharan Africa. The region dominates the global mobile money market, accounting for 70% of $1 trillion worth of transactions recorded last year.

90: Indians hate the often hefty "convenience fees" they pay for cashless transactions, even for government-related services. But 90% say they’d rather get charged a bit extra to avoid going to a physical counter.

2: Paying in cash is mostly a thing of the past in Norway. Only 2% of Norwegians now use bills and coins in a de-facto cashless society where virtually everyone has a bank account and cards.


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