In 2011, just over half the world's adults had a financial account. By 2024, that share had risen to 79% — more than a billion people brought into the formal financial system in a little over a decade. The World Bank's Global Findex Database has tracked every step of that journey.
But the headline number tells only part of the story. Account ownership and financial health are not the same thing. Across low- and middle-income economies, financial resilience has barely moved even as access has surged. The gap between having an account and using it well remains one of the defining challenges of financial inclusion.
A visual summary of 14 years of Findex data — what has changed, where the gaps remain, and why access without education leaves the job half done.
Source: World Bank Global Findex Database 2011, 2014, 2017, 2021, 2025 · Klapper, Singer, Starita & Norris (2025)
Global share of adults (15+) with an account at a bank or mobile money provider. Progress stalled between 2017–2021 before mobile money reignited growth.
Account Ownership & Key Indicators — Global, Adults (%) · 2014 is the first year digital payments were tracked · 2025 edition adds mobile & internet data
The jump from 74% (2021) to 79% (2024) in global account ownership is almost entirely accounted for by mobile money growth — particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (+13pp to 40%) and Latin America (+15pp to 37%). This is why the 2025 Findex edition introduced a dedicated Digital Connectivity Tracker alongside the financial data.
Account ownership and digital payment use by World Bank region, adults (%). High-income economies excluded from regional averages.
| Region | Account (%) | Digital Payments (%) | Saves Formally (%) | Borrows Formally (%) | Mobile Phone (%) |
|---|
Having an account doesn't automatically translate into financial health. These indicators show where the real challenges lie for low & middle-income adults.
The account ownership rate is 75% — yet these downstream measures tell a more sobering story
Financial access and financial health are not the same thing. Account ownership has grown dramatically; financial resilience has not moved since 2021. This is precisely why financial education — the knowledge and habits to use financial tools effectively — cannot be an afterthought. Access opens the door. Education determines whether people walk through it.
Sweat Your Assets · sweatyourassets.biz · Data: Klapper, Singer, Starita & Norris (2025) The Global Findex Database 2025. World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-2204-9
Historical data from Findex 2011, 2014, 2017, 2021. All figures refer to adults aged 15+. Low & middle-income averages exclude high-income economies.
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