Ranked: Countries That Use the Most Cash in 2025
Update: 2025-11-06
Description
Ranked: Countries That Use the Most Cash in 2025
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Key Takeaways
- The poorest countries rely most 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.
- The “middle-income trap”: countries like Mexico (80%), India (70%), and Thailand (65%) show that moderate economic development doesn’t automatically mean digital adoption.
Did you know that entire economies still run on cash, pretty much day to day?
This infographic ranks 123 countries by the share of daily transactions completed with physical banknotes and coins, spotlighting where cash is still king, and where it’s becoming a relic.
The data for this visualization comes from Forex.se.
Poverty and Limited Banking Fuel Cash Dependence
Myanmar tops the ranking at 98% cash usage, followed closely by Ethiopia and Gambia at 95% each.
| Rank | Country | ISO Code | Share of daily transactions in cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Myanmar | MMR | 98% |
| 2 |  Ethiopia | ETH | 95% |
| 3 |  The Gambia | GMB | 95% |
| 4 |  Albania | ALB | 90% |
| 5 |  Cambodia | KHM | 90% |
| 6 |  Laos | LAO | 90% |
| 7 |  Lebanon | LBN | 90% |
| 8 |  Nepal | NPL | 90% |
| 9 |  Pakistan | PAK | 90% |
| 10 |  Iraq | IRQ | 85% |
| 11 |  Iran | IRN | 85% |
| 12 |  Cuba | CUB | 85% |
| 13 |  Mongolia | MNG | 85% |
| 14 |  Egypt | EGY | 80% |
| 15 |  Fiji | FJI | 80% |
| 16 |  Gabon | GAB | 80% |
| 17 |  Jamaica | JAM | 80% |
| 18 |  Jordan | JOR | 80% |
| 19 |  Mexico | MEX | 80% |
| 20 |  Moldova | MDA | 80% |
| 21 |  Sri Lanka | LKA | 80% |
| 22 |  Tanzania | TZA | 75% |
| 23 |  Trinidad & Tobago | TTO | 75% |
| 24 | <img alt="🇦🇷" class="wp-smiley" src="https://i0.wp.com/s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/ Comments  In Channel  Download from Google Play  Download from App Store  United States00:00 00:00 1.0x   Ranked: Countries That Use the Most Cash in 2025Pallavi Rao |