The poorest countries rely more on cash: Myanmar (98%), Ethiopia (95%), and Gambia (95%) top the list, reflecting limited banking infrastructure
Wealthy nations are nearly cashless: Sweden (14%), Norway (10%), and South Korea (10%) show how digital payment infrastructure correlates with economic development
Emerging economies like Mexico (80%), India (70%), and Thailand (65%) show that cash usage can be quite sticky
Surprising Outliers:
Japan at 60% is remarkably high for such a technologically advanced nation - cultural preference for cash persists despite infrastructure
Germany at 51% is an anomaly among wealthy European nations, likely due to cultural privacy concerns
Italy at 62% stands out in Western Europe, possibly linked to informal economy prevalence
China at just 10% is striking - this reflects its leapfrog to mobile payments (Alipay/WeChat Pay), bypassing traditional card infrastructure entirely
