🏧 More women in developing countries have access to bank accounts

• 73 percent of women in low- and middle-income countries now have a financial account, an increase of 7 percentage points since 2021.
• The share of women saving formally has increased from 22 percent to 36 percent in three years.
• Mobile phones and digital accounts make it easier for women to use financial services.

More are saving and using digital payments

The Global Findex 2025 report shows that women's access to financial services has increased in low- and middle-income countries. In 2024, 73 percent of women in these countries had a financial account. That is an increase of 7 percentage points compared to 2021.

The report shows that more women are now actively using their accounts. The share of women saving formally has risen from 22 percent in 2021 to 36 percent in 2024. The use of digital payments has also increased. In 2024, 58 percent of women made or received digital payments, compared to 50 percent in 2021. Digital payments to merchants increased from 32 percent to 38 percent during the same period.

Mobile phones are changing access

More than half of women with accounts in low- and middle-income countries now have a digital account. This means the account can be accessed via card or phone. Around 80 percent of women in developing countries own a mobile phone. This makes it easier and more practical for them to use their accounts.

Mobile money accounts are particularly popular in Sub-Saharan Africa and Bangladesh. These accounts can be used with a basic mobile phone and often have lower fees than traditional bank accounts. In Sub-Saharan Africa, women are equally likely as men to exclusively have a mobile money account. This suggests that the technology offers particular benefits for women.

Digital payments open doors

Digital payments play an important role in account access. Around 60 percent of women with bank accounts in low- and middle-income countries opened their first account to receive a digital payment. The payment came from the government or a private sector employer. Ten percent of women without accounts currently receive either wages or government payments. This represents an opportunity to bring these women into the formal financial system.

World Bank invests in women's access to capital

The World Bank Group has set a goal to provide capital to 80 million women and women-led businesses by 2030. Today, 9 percent of women borrow to start or run a business. Among them, half access formal sources of credit.

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