Mobile Banking Usage by Country 2024

Mobile money services are a convenient way to manage personal finances without a traditional bank account. Internationally, the Far East Region, including China, has the highest number of mobile money service users. More than 805 million people in that region, age 15 and older, use mobile services.

Countries in the Far East also tend to have a high percentage of their residents who use mobile money services. Sixty percent of the population of Thailand, age 15 and older, have a mobile account, and 27.9 percent of them say they can use the account without assistance. Thailand is a well-banked country, with more than 95 percent of its residents using either mobile services or a traditional bank. In Mongolia, 58.8 percent of the population have mobile accounts, and 15.7 percent use these accounts without help. In both Thailand and Mongolia, the percentage of residents using mobile money services has dramatically increased in the past five years.

Several African countries also have a high percentage of residents who use mobile money services. In many African countries, mobile service users are also a high percentage of those who use any type of financial institution. For example, 68.7 percent of residents in Kenya use mobile money services. Only 79 percent of residents use any financial services, meaning most people who bank in Kenya do so through mobile services. In Uganda, 53.8 percent use mobile services out of the 66 percent who use any financial services. In Zambia, 41.6 percent use mobile services, while only 48.52 percent use any financial services.

Some African countries are exceptions, however. For example, only 8.7 percent use mobile banking in Nigeria, and 5.4 percent use it in Niger. Financial services participation is 45.32 percent in Nigeria but only 11.69 percent in Niger.

Middle Eastern countries tend to have a low usage of mobile money services. For example, no one, or such a small number as to be negligible, uses it in Israel, Saudi Arabia, or Syria. Israel has a high percentage (93) who use traditional banking services.

Usage in Central and South American countries is mixed. About 35 percent of residents use mobile services in Argentina, and about 27 percent use them in Brazil. No one, or almost no one, uses mobile services in Panama.

Many European countries have no mobile service users, although all or nearly all residents use more traditional financial services.