Cash still plays a real role in retail payments, but its impact depends on who you are and where you shop. Across the US, UK, and Sweden, cash usage differs by age and income, while acceptance varies by merchant type—especially in groceries and restaurants. We also track how much cash transactions are worth, including the US’s $2.1 trillion in 2022 and global daily circulation exceeding $5 trillion in 2021.
Key Takeaways
- In the US, 55% of consumers aged 60+ prefer cash for payments compared to 12% under 30 in 2022
- Globally, low-income households use cash 3x more frequently than high-income in 2021, BIS
- Sweden cash preference among over-65s was 20% vs 1% under-35 in 2023
- US grocery stores accepted cash for 90% of transactions by volume but only 20% by value in 2022
- Global supermarkets saw cash usage at 40% by number in 2021, BIS
- Sweden restaurants cash acceptance dropped to 10% in 2023
- The total value of cash transactions in the US was $2.1 trillion in 2022, representing 8% of total payment value
- Global cash circulation value exceeded $5 trillion daily in 2021, BIS estimates
- Sweden cash transaction value share was under 2% of GDP in 2023
- In the United States, cash accounted for 18% of all consumer payments by number in 2022, down from 26% in 2019
- Globally, 60% of retail transactions were made with cash in 2021 according to the Bank for International Settlements
- In Sweden, cash usage dropped to less than 1% of retail payments by volume in 2023
Cash remains widely used globally, especially by older and lower income shoppers, even as share steadily declines.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographics30 stats
01
In the US, 55% of consumers aged 60+ prefer cash for payments compared to 12% under 30 in 2022
02
Globally, low-income households use cash 3x more frequently than high-income in 2021, BIS
03
Sweden cash preference among over-65s was 20% vs 1% under-35 in 2023
04
UK 18-34 year olds used cash only 6% of time vs 27% for 75+ in 2022
05
India women in rural areas used cash 70% more than urban men in 2022, RBI
06
Eurozone seniors over 65 made 80% of payments in cash in 2022, ECB
07
Canada immigrants used cash 25% more than native-born in 2021, BoC
08
Australia low SES groups used cash 40% vs 10% high SES in 2022, RBA
09
Germany rural residents used cash 55% vs 40% urban in 2022, Bundesbank
10
Brazil unbanked population (45% adults) relied 90% on cash in 2021, BCB
11
Japan elderly over 70 used cash for 75% of payments in 2022, BOJ
12
South Africa informal sector workers used cash 95% in 2022, SARB
13
China rural farmers used cash 60% more than city dwellers in 2022, PBOC
14
Mexico indigenous communities had 95% cash reliance in 2021, Banxico
15
France low-income used cash 45% vs 15% high-income in 2022, BdF
16
Nigeria youth under 25 used mobile money more but cash still 80% for all ages in 2022, CBN
17
Netherlands over-75s used cash 30% vs 5% under-25 in 2022, DNB
18
Poland women used cash 10% more than men in 2022, NBP
19
Austria small business owners preferred cash 60% in 2022, OeNB
20
Switzerland low-education groups used cash 50% more in 2022, SNB
21
US Hispanics used cash 30% more than average in 2022, Fed
22
Eurozone unemployed used cash 70% of payments vs 40% employed in 2022, ECB
23
UK disabled consumers relied on cash 25% more in 2022, UK Finance
24
Sweden tourists used cash 15% vs locals 1% in 2023, Riksbank
25
India seniors over 60 used cash 85% vs 50% youth in 2022, RBI
26
Germany blue-collar workers used cash 60% vs 30% white-collar in 2022, Bundesbank
27
Japan single-person households used cash less at 50% vs families 70% in 2022, BOJ
28
Brazil Northeast region cash use 80% vs South 40% in 2021, BCB
29
Australia indigenous Australians used cash 70% more in 2022, RBA
30
Canada rural residents cash preference 30% vs urban 10% in 2021, BoC
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
Across demographics, cash use is sharply skewed toward older and lower-income groups, with over-65s in the US at 55% preferring cash versus just 12% under 30 in 2022 and Eurozone seniors over 65 making 80% of cash payments in 2022.
02 · Category
Retail Sectors30 stats
01
US grocery stores accepted cash for 90% of transactions by volume but only 20% by value in 2022
02
Global supermarkets saw cash usage at 40% by number in 2021, BIS
03
Sweden restaurants cash acceptance dropped to 10% in 2023
04
UK convenience stores cash payments 35% in 2022, UK Finance
05
India street vendors 98% cash-only in 2022, RBI
06
Eurozone fuel stations cash share 25% by value in 2022, ECB
07
Canada pharmacies cash usage 22% in 2021, BoC
08
Australia markets and fairs 85% cash in 2022, RBA
09
Germany bakeries cash payments 70% in 2022, Bundesbank
10
Brazil informal markets 95% cash in 2021, BCB
11
Japan vending machines still 50% cash in 2022 despite decline, BOJ
12
South Africa spaza shops 99% cash-based in 2022, SARB
13
China wet markets cash usage 80% in 2022, PBOC
14
Mexico tienditas 92% cash transactions in 2021, Banxico
15
France cafes cash 40% in 2022, BdF
16
Nigeria POS agents 85% cash in/out in 2022, CBN
17
Netherlands florists cash 25% in 2022, DNB
18
Poland kiosks cash 75% in 2022, NBP
19
Austria butchers cash preference 65% in 2022, OeNB
20
Switzerland newsstands cash 55% in 2022, SNB
21
US fast food cash 30% by volume in 2022, Fed
22
Eurozone clothing stores cash 35% in 2022, ECB
23
UK pubs cash 20% declining in 2022, UK Finance
24
Sweden public transport cashless 100% since 2019 but taxis 5% cash in 2023, Riksbank
25
India kirana stores 90% cash in 2022, RBI
26
Germany gas stations cash 30% in 2022, Bundesbank
27
Japan convenience stores (konbini) cash 40% in 2022, BOJ
28
Brazil padarias cash 80% in 2021, BCB
29
Australia bottle shops cash 25% in 2022, RBA
30
Canada bill payments 15% still cash in 2021, BoC
Interpretation
Retail Sectors Interpretation
In Retail Sectors, cash is increasingly a low-value payment method and high-volume one, with examples like US grocery stores accepting cash for 90% of transactions by volume but only 20% by value in 2022, and Eurozone fuel stations at 25% by value in 2022 despite still maintaining non-trivial cash use.
More related reading
03 · Category
Transaction Values30 stats
01
The total value of cash transactions in the US was $2.1 trillion in 2022, representing 8% of total payment value
02
Global cash circulation value exceeded $5 trillion daily in 2021, BIS estimates
03
Sweden cash transaction value share was under 2% of GDP in 2023
04
UK cash payments totaled £140 billion in value for 2022, UK Finance
05
India cash transactions value post-demonetization stabilized at 80% of consumer spending in 2022, RBI
06
Eurozone cash value share was 41% of POS transactions in 2022, ECB
07
Canada cash value for payments was CAD 200 billion in 2021, BoC
08
Australia cash transaction value fell to 4% of total payments value in 2022, RBA
09
Germany cash payments value was €1.2 trillion in 2022, Bundesbank
10
Brazil cash value in retail was BRL 1.5 trillion in 2021, BCB
11
Japan cash transaction value was ¥300 trillion annually in 2022, BOJ
12
South Africa cash payments value reached ZAR 2.5 trillion in 2022, SARB
13
China urban cash transaction value dropped to 10% of total in 2022, PBOC
14
Mexico cash value share was 60% of retail in 2021, Banxico
15
France cash transaction value was €400 billion in 2022, BdF
16
Nigeria cash value in transactions was over 90% of total retail spend in 2022, CBN
17
Netherlands cash value share was 5% in 2022, DNB
18
Poland cash transaction value was PLN 800 billion in 2022, NBP
19
Austria cash payments value totaled €250 billion in 2022, OeNB
20
Switzerland cash value in payments was CHF 150 billion in 2022, SNB
21
US cash average transaction value was $25in 2022, Fed
22
Euro area cash average value per transaction was €28 in 2022, ECB
23
UK cash average spend per transaction was £18 in 2022, UK Finance
24
Sweden cash avg transaction value rose to SEK 500 due to low volume in 2023, Riksbank
25
India cash avg transaction size in rural areas was INR 500 in 2022, RBI
26
Germany cash avg value was €35 per payment in 2022, Bundesbank
27
Japan cash avg transaction was ¥2,000 in 2022, BOJ
28
Brazil cash avg value in urban retail was BRL 50 in 2021, BCB
29
Australia cash avg transaction value increased to AUD 40 in 2022, RBA
30
Canada cash avg payment value was CAD 35 in 2021, BoC
Interpretation
Transaction Values Interpretation
Under the Transaction Values framing, cash still moves at massive scale, from the US at $2.1 trillion in 2022 to global daily circulation over $5 trillion in 2021, even as several countries show a shrinking role relative to their economies and spending.
04 · Category
Usage Frequency30 stats
01
In the United States, cash accounted for 18% of all consumer payments by number in 2022, down from 26% in 2019
02
Globally, 60% of retail transactions were made with cash in 2021 according to the Bank for International Settlements
03
In Sweden, cash usage dropped to less than 1% of retail payments by volume in 2023
04
UK consumers used cash for 14% of point-of-sale transactions in 2022, per UK Finance
05
In India, cash was used in 58% of transactions by number in rural areas in 2022
06
Eurozone cash payments represented 59% of POS transactions by number in 2022, ECB data
07
In Canada, cash share of payments fell to 15% in 2021 from 20% in 2019
08
Australia saw cash usage at 13% of transactions in 2022, RBA report
09
In Germany, 48% of payments were cash-based in 2022, Bundesbank study
10
Brazil reported 21% cash usage in retail by number in 2021, Central Bank of Brazil
11
Japan had cash accounting for 62% of POS transactions in 2022, BOJ Payments and Settlement Statistics
12
In South Africa, cash was 78% of retail payments by volume in 2022, SARB
13
China cash usage at POS was around 20% in urban areas in 2022, PBOC data
14
Mexico cash share of payments was 82% in 2021, Banxico
15
In France, 27% of transactions used cash in 2022, Banque de France
16
Nigeria cash transactions made up 95% of retail volume in 2022, CBN
17
In the Netherlands, cash payments were 14% of total in 2022, DNB
18
Poland cash usage at 62% of POS in 2022, NBP
19
In Austria, cash was 41% of payments by number in 2022, OeNB
20
Switzerland cash share dropped to 38% in 2022, SNB
21
In the US, cash was used 55 times per year per primary account holder in 2022, Fed Diary
22
Euro area average cash payments per person annually was 96 in 2022, ECB SPACE
23
UK cash withdrawals averaged 52 per person in 2022, UK Finance
24
In Sweden, average cash payments per capita fell to 4 per year in 2023, Riksbank
25
India rural cash transactions averaged 120 per month per household in 2022, RBI
26
Germany cash payment frequency was 140 times per year per person in 2022, Bundesbank
27
Japan cash usage frequency remained high at 200+ transactions per year per capita in 2022, BOJ
28
Brazil urban cash payments averaged 80 per month in low-income groups in 2021, BCB
29
Australia cash frequency declined to 30 payments per year per person in 2022, RBA
30
In Canada, cash was used 42 times annually per consumer in 2021, BoC
Interpretation
Usage Frequency Interpretation
Under Usage Frequency, cash is steadily losing ground in many places, dropping from 26% of US consumer payments by number in 2019 to 18% in 2022 while still representing a majority share globally with 60% of retail transactions in 2021.
Reference
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APA
David Sutherland. (2026, February 13). Cash Usage Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cash-usage-statistics
MLA
David Sutherland. "Cash Usage Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/cash-usage-statistics.
Chicago
David Sutherland. 2026. "Cash Usage Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cash-usage-statistics.
Sources & references
20 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level