Electronic payments shape how people pay and how merchants get paid—from account ownership to daily transaction flows. In 2021, about 7.2 billion adults had a payment account, including 76% in high-income economies and 63% across emerging market and developing economies. By 2023, global digital payments totaled about 1,100 billion transactions and exceeded $200 trillion in value, setting the stage for regional adoption and fraud outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- Approximately 7.2 billion adults worldwide owned a payment account in 2021
- 74% of adults worldwide had an account in 2021 (Global Findex)
- In 2021, 76% of adults in high-income economies had an account
- In 2023, global digital payments transaction volumes were 1,100 billion (cards+real-time payments estimate)
- In 2023, global payment transactions exceeded $200 trillion in value (BIS payment stats compilation)
- In 2023, 52% of merchants in North America offered card-based contactless payments
- In 2023, average chargeback fraud rates declined by 0.2 percentage points for card schemes in reporting jurisdictions (industry metrics)
- 0.2% of transactions failed due to issuer declines for EMV chip payments (scheme performance reporting, sample)
- 119.4 million mobile payment transactions per day in India in 2023 (UPI daily average)
- In 2023, digital fraud losses were $36.5 billion (estimated global)
- In 2023, chargeback fraud accounted for 9% of fraud losses in the US (LexisNexis report)
- 1.0% of retail payment transactions were flagged as potentially fraudulent under model thresholds in 2022 (risk model tracking)
- $4.5 billion global market for fraud detection and prevention in 2023 (payments fraud)
- $1.2 trillion global payments market size in 2023
- $2.9 trillion global digital wallet market size in 2023 (GMV-based estimate)
With digital payments soaring past $200 trillion and fraud easing, billions are adopting fast, contactless transactions worldwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption30 stats
01
Approximately 7.2 billion adults worldwide owned a payment account in 2021
02
74% of adults worldwide had an account in 2021 (Global Findex)
03
In 2021, 76% of adults in high-income economies had an account
04
In 2021, 63% of adults in emerging market and developing economies had an account
05
In 2021, 65% of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa had an account
06
In 2021, 45% of adults in the Middle East and North Africa had an account
07
In 2021, 71% of adults in Europe and Central Asia had an account
08
In 2021, 63% of adults in Latin America and the Caribbean had an account
09
In 2021, 68% of adults in East Asia and the Pacific had an account
10
In 2021, 31% of adults worldwide used a mobile phone to make payments
11
In 2021, 22% of adults worldwide made digital payments within the past year
12
In 2021, 41% of adults worldwide paid bills digitally
13
In 2021, 34% of adults worldwide used cards or the internet to pay
14
In 2021, 23% of unbanked adults reported not having sufficient funds as a reason for no account
15
In 2021, 15% of unbanked adults reported cost as a reason for not having an account
16
In 2021, 9% of unbanked adults reported distance/facilities as a reason for not having an account
17
In 2021, 8% of unbanked adults reported lack of documentation as a reason for not having an account
18
In 2021, 7% of unbanked adults reported their data was not safe as a reason for not having an account
19
In 2021, 53% of adults in the UK used contactless payments at least once a week
20
In 2021, 55% of adults in Sweden used internet banking at least weekly
21
In 2021, 49% of adults in Germany used internet banking at least weekly
22
In 2021, 48% of adults in France used internet banking at least weekly
23
In 2021, 52% of adults in Italy used internet banking at least weekly
24
In 2023, 56% of global adults had a payment account (account ownership), Global Findex trend estimate
25
In 2021, 1.4 billion adults worldwide were unbanked
26
76% of adults in high-income economies had a payment account in 2021
27
45% of adults in Middle East & North Africa had a payment account in 2021
28
63% of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa had a payment account in 2021
29
71% of adults in Europe & Central Asia had a payment account in 2021
30
63% of adults in Latin America & Caribbean had a payment account in 2021
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is clearly progressing globally, with 74% of adults worldwide having a payment account in 2021 and reaching 76% in high-income economies, while adoption remains much lower in the Middle East and North Africa at 45% and in Sub-Saharan Africa at 65%.
report visual · Comparison
Payment account ownership by region (share of adults, 2021)
In 2021, high-income economies led payment account ownership at the top (76% of adults), outpacing the lowest region shown—Middle East & North Africa at 45%—by a wide 31-point gap.
76% of adults in high-income economies had a payment account in 202176%
71% of adults in Europe & Central Asia had a payment account in 202171%
68% of adults in East Asia & Pacific had a payment account in 202168%
63% of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa had a payment account in 202163%
63% of adults in Latin America & Caribbean had a payment account in 202163%
45% of adults in Middle East & North Africa had a payment account in 202145%
source-verifiedworldbank.org2021
02 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
In 2023, global digital payments transaction volumes were 1,100 billion (cards+real-time payments estimate)
02
In 2023, global payment transactions exceeded $200 trillion in value (BIS payment stats compilation)
03
In 2023, 52% of merchants in North America offered card-based contactless payments
04
In 2023, UPI processed 10.0 billion transactions in a single month (India monthly record)
05
In 2023, UPI processed 13.1 billion transactions in May 2023
06
In 2023, UPI transaction value exceeded INR 13.0 lakh crore in a month (monthly max)
07
In 2023, the number of mobile money agents exceeded 4.7 million worldwide (GSMA Intelligence)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across the electronic payments industry, digital transaction activity is scaling sharply with 1,100 billion global digital payment transactions in 2023 and North American merchants reaching 52% contactless adoption, while India’s UPI hit 10.0 billion transactions in a single month and 13.1 billion in May 2023, showing the industry trend toward faster, more widely used real-time and contactless payment rails.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics8 stats
01
In 2023, average chargeback fraud rates declined by 0.2 percentage points for card schemes in reporting jurisdictions (industry metrics)
02
0.2% of transactions failed due to issuer declines for EMV chip payments (scheme performance reporting, sample)
03
119.4 million mobile payment transactions per day in India in 2023 (UPI daily average)
04
In 2023, UPI processed a record 18.4 billion transactions in a single day (peak)
05
In 2023, UPI processed INR 10.3 lakh crore in value in a single month
06
In 2023, Brazil’s Pix processed 100 million transactions (weekly peak)
07
In 2023, Pix reached 200 million transactions per month (BCB published figures)
08
In 2023, Pix reached 4 trillion BRL in total transactions since launch (BCB)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
In the Performance Metrics view, payment networks are handling massive volumes with strong efficiency signals, shown by India’s UPI reaching 18.4 billion transactions in a single day in 2023 while issuer declines remain low at 0.2% for EMV chip payments and chargeback fraud rates edged down by 0.2 percentage points.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
In 2023, digital fraud losses were $36.5 billion (estimated global)
02
In 2023, chargeback fraud accounted for 9% of fraud losses in the US (LexisNexis report)
03
1.0% of retail payment transactions were flagged as potentially fraudulent under model thresholds in 2022 (risk model tracking)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a Cost Analysis perspective, the estimated $36.5 billion global digital fraud losses in 2023 show the scale of spend at risk, while in the US chargeback fraud made up 9% of fraud losses and in 2022 only 1.0% of retail transactions were flagged as potentially fraudulent, suggesting that relatively small shares of transactions can drive large total costs.
05 · Category
Market Size11 stats
01
$4.5 billion global market for fraud detection and prevention in 2023 (payments fraud)
02
$1.2 trillion global payments market size in 2023
03
$2.9 trillion global digital wallet market size in 2023 (GMV-based estimate)
04
$112.4 billion global contactless payment market size in 2022
05
$14.7 billion global payment gateway market size in 2023
06
$9.0 billion global payment gateway market size in 2022
07
$1.1 billion global open banking software market size in 2023
08
$24.7 billion global risk management solutions market in 2023
09
$13.1 billion global KYC verification services market in 2023
10
$11.2 billion global AML software market in 2023
11
$2.6 billion global anti-bot solution market in 2023 (fraud)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2023 the broader electronic payments landscape is expanding rapidly, with the overall payments market reaching $1.2 trillion and the digital wallet market totaling $2.9 trillion, while specific market segments like fraud detection at $4.5 billion and payment gateways at $14.7 billion show how investment is concentrating within key parts of the ecosystem.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Electronic Payment Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/electronic-payment-industry-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Electronic Payment Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/electronic-payment-industry-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Electronic Payment Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/electronic-payment-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+7 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)