Digital Wallet Statistics (2023): Users, Growth Rate & Trends

Highlights. In 2022, there were 3.4 billion digital wallet* users in the world.

65% of U.S. adults said they used a digital wallet at least once in the past month.
In 2022, 32% of point-of-sale transactions globally were made using digital wallets, more than any other payment type.
Digital wallets led in online purchases globally in 2022, capturing 49% of transactions.
In 2022, the global total value of digital wallet transactions was $7.5 trillion.
In 2022, the global mobile payment market was valued at $53.5 billion.

*Digital wallets, mobile wallets, and mobile payments are often used interchangeably, but each term is slightly different. Each statistic in this article specifies which term it refers to.

Line Graph: Leading North American eCommerce Payment Methods by to share of payments according to FIS

Digital Wallet User Statistics

A digital wallet stores credit, debit, and loyalty card details for use online; a mobile wallet is any digital wallet that can be used on a mobile device or for proximity payments.

In 2022, there were 3.4 billion digital wallet users in the world, or 42.6% of the global population.
By 2026, the number of global digital wallet users is expected to grow by 53% to reach 5.2 billion, or over 60% of the global population.
In 2022, Thailand led in digital wallet adoption with 92% of consumers, followed by major markets like India with 90.4%, China with 84.4%, and the U.S. with 49.9%.
In 2021, China led in point of sale (POS) digital wallet adoption with 87.3% of smartphone users making a proximity mobile payment, up from 81.1% in 2019.
In 2021, 101.2 million U.S. smartphone owners used proximity mobile payments, or 43.2% of U.S. smartphone users, up 48.9% from 29% in 2019.

100% Stacked Bar Graph: Frequency of Use aMong Digital Wallet Users according to Morning Consult

Digital Wallet Transaction Statistics

Digital wallet transaction volumes are growing, both online and in physical stores.

In 2022, the global total value of digital wallet transactions was $7.5 trillion.
By 2026, the global total value of digital wallet transactions is expected to grow by 60% to exceed $12 trillion.
In 2022, mobile payments through QR codes totaled $2.4 trillion; by 2025, this is expected to rise by 25% to over $3 trillion.
By 2026, QR codes are predicted to be the most popular type of digital wallet transaction globally, with 380 billion transactions and 40% of all transactions by volume.
In 2022, the average mobile wallet transaction was worth $92.50, compared to $95.10 for credit cards, $82.00 for debit cards, and $61.20 for cash.
Consumers using credit cards spend 2.8% more on average than those using digital wallets; digital wallet users spend 12.8% more on average than debit card users and 51.1% more than cash users.
In 2021, U.S. mobile payment users spent $2,439.70 per consumer using proximity mobile payment platforms, a 23.6% increase from 2020.

Bar Graph: US Proximity Mobile Payment Users from 2020 (92.3 milllion), 2021 (101.2 million) and estimates/projections from 2022 (108.6 million) to 2025 (125 million) according to eMarketer

Mobile Payment Market Statistics

Mobile payments are purchases made through a mobile wallet using an NFC-capable phone.

In 2022, the global mobile payment market was valued at $53.5 billion.
The global mobile payment market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 35.5% from 2022 to 2030, reaching $607.9 billion in 2030.
In 2021, the Asia-Pacific region made up the largest share of the mobile wallet market with a 30.0% revenue share.
In 2021, Europe was the fastest growing sector of the mobile wallet market with an expected CAGR of 26.8%.

Grouped Bar Graph: Global Leading Point of Sale Payment Methods from 2022 and projections for 2026 according to FIS

The leading digital wallet varies widely by region and country. Consumers who use digital wallets often use more than one.

In 2021, PayPal was used by 71% of U.S. adults, making it the most popular digital wallet in America.
Globally, Alipay leads with 650 million users, followed by WeChat Pay with 550 million and Apple Pay with 507 million.
19.1% of the world’s digital wallet users use Alipay, followed by 16.2% using WeChat Pay and 14.9% using Apple Pay.
In 2023, PayPal saw the most POS use in Mexico, the U.S., and Brazil with 64%, 58%, and 51% of consumers respectively.
Over 80% of consumers in 13 of 21 countries surveyed (or 62% of countries) used PayPal for online payments in 2023, including the U.S., Germany, and France.
Apple Pay led in 2023 U.K. mobile payments with 69% of digital wallet users, more than double (or 122%) PayPal’s user share, which was only 31%.
Google Pay led in 2023 Indian mobile payments, with 82% of consumers using it in-store and 77% online, more than double its penetration in any other country.
88% of Apple Pay users said they also use PayPal. 89% of Google Pay, Cash App, and Venmo users said the same.

Grouped Bar Graph: Global Leading eCommerce Payment Methods from 2022 and projections fro 2026 according to FIS

Consumer Digital Wallet Preference Statistics

The convenience of digital wallets continues to draw new users.

Globally, consumers are 145% more likely to use a digital wallet than any other form of online payment.
15% of digital wallet users in the U.S. regularly leave home without a physical wallet.
From 2021 to 2022, the share of Americans that were concerned about the security of mobile wallets decreased from 25% to 21%.
80.6% of digital wallet users in the U.S. prefer digital wallets due to their speed; 76.9% prefer them due to their overall convenience.
33% of U.S. users fund their digital wallets using a debit card, while 31% use a credit card and 20% use a bank account.
53.3% of mobile wallet users had last used their mobile wallet to purchase groceries, while 20.6% had used it for fast food and 19.6% for gas.
69.3% of Americans aged 18 to 25 and 73.7% of those aged 26 to 40 make payments using digital wallets, compared to just 30% of those over 57.

Bar Graph: U.S. Digital Wallet Usage Among Age Groups including 18 to 25 (69%), 26 to 40 (73%), 41 to 56 (56%) and 57+ (30%) according to PYMNTS.com

Digital Wallet Market Penetration Statistics

Digital wallet use in-store and online varies widely by country, but is steadily rising worldwide.

49% of global online purchases in 2022 were made using digital wallets, more than twice the 20% captured by the runner-up, credit cards.
32% of global POS purchases in 2022 were made using digital wallets, slightly higher than the 26% captured by credit cards.
By 2026, 54% of global online payments and 43% of global POS payments are expected to be made through digital wallets.
From 2022 to 2026, global digital wallet use is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% online and 15% at POS.
In the United States, 32% of online transactions and 12% of POS transactions are made using digital wallets.
Globally, digital wallet use is projected to increase 10.2% online and 34.4% at POS from 2022 to 2026.
In 2022, China led in contactless payment terminals at POS with 46.8 million units or more than double the United States, which had 23 million terminals.

Bar Graph: Top 10 Countries in Digital Wallet Adoption by consumer penetration rate according to Statista

Digital Wallet North America Penetration

Although North America is the slowest of the world’s largest markets to adopt digital wallets, their use is still steadily increasing.

In North America in 2022, 41% of all POS payments were made with credit cards, 242% more than the 12% made with digital wallets.
By 2026, credit card use in North American POS payments is only expected to decline to 40% and debit card use will remain steady at 31%; digital wallet use will increase to 16%.
In North America in 2022, 32% of online payments were made with digital wallets, just over the 31% made with credit cards.
By 2026, digital wallets will solidify their lead over credit cards in North American online payments, rising to capture 41% of transactions online as credit card use drops to 23%.

Digital Wallet Asia-Pacific Penetration

The Asia-Pacific (APAC) market has the widest adoption of digital wallets of any region, particularly in online payments.

47% of POS payments in APAC countries in 2022 were made through digital wallets, more than double (or 124% greater) the 21% of payments made with credit cards.
By 2026, 59% of APAC POS payments are expected to be made through digital wallets, while credit cards are expected to fall to 18%.
69% of APAC online payments in 2022 were made through digital wallets, compared to 11% made using the runner-up, credit cards.
By 2026, digital wallets are expected to capture 73% of APAC online payments, while credit cards are expected to fall to 10%.

Digital Wallet Europe Penetration

Despite slow initial POS adoption, digital wallet use in Europe is expected to continue growing.

In Europe in 2022, debit cards led with 42% of POS payments, while digital wallets captured only 10%.
In Europe in 2022, digital wallets led in online payments with 29% of transactions.
By 2026, digital wallet use at POS and online is expected to grow to 20% and 32% respectively.

Digital Wallet Latin America Penetration

Digital wallet use is rapidly growing in Latin America and is expected to surpass cash in POS transactions by 2026.

In 2022, cash led in Latin American POS payments with 31% of transactions, more than double the 15% captured by digital wallets.
Online, credit cards led in 2022 Latin American payments, capturing 35% of transactions, 67% more than the 21% captured by digital wallets.
By 2026, digital wallet use in Latin America is predicted to grow to 24% at POS and 28% online, making it the 2nd most popular payment method in both channels.

Digital Wallet Middle East-Africa Penetration

Cash and credit still dominate in the Middle East and Africa, but digital wallet use is expected to grow to match them by 2026.

Cash led in 2022 POS payments in the Middle East and Africa, capturing 43% of payments, 231% more than the 13% of transactions made with digital wallets.
Credit cards were used in 31% of 2022 online payments in the Middle East and Africa, followed by digital wallets with 20% of online transactions.
By 2026, Middle East and Africa digital wallet use is expected to increase to 27% of online transactions and 24% of POS transactions.

Cryptocurrency Digital Wallet Statistics

Cryptocurrency wallets store cryptocurrency similarly to digital wallets. By interfacing with businesses or financial services that accept cryptocurrency, they can function as digital wallets.

In 2022, there were 81 million unique wallets on Blockchain.com, a popular crypto wallet provider.
This represented a user increase of 22.3% from 66.2 million in 2021 and of 98% from 40.9 million in 2019.
17% of Americans have ever invested in or used cryptocurrency and 69% of those currently hold any cryptocurrency.

These data and insights were compiled by the Capital One Shopping team based on publicly available data.

Digital Wallet Statistics