Access should fit the rhythm of rural life.
A financial account opens possibilities, but useful rural finance must also address timing, distance, cost and risk.
Progress is real. Gaps remain.
The World Bank’s Global Findex 2025 reports on adults aged 15 and above using 2024 surveys. Its account measure includes qualifying financial institution accounts and mobile money.
The rural–urban comparison shows an access gap within low- and middle-income economies. The survey covers all rural adults, including people working outside agriculture. Geography, household income and available services shape the practical needs behind the account measure.
The rural access gap
Account ownership · adults aged 15+
Financial institution or mobile-money account. Regional figures exclude high-income economies. Rural residence does not identify farmer occupation.
Read the sourceDifferent needs require different services.
A household may need safe payments and a reserve for emergencies. A grower may need money before harvest. A cooperative may need equipment finance. An exporter may need support between shipment and collection.
Payments & savings
Manage transactions and preserve funds between income cycles.
Seasonal working capital
Bridge the period between inputs and agricultural sales.
Asset finance
Match longer-lived equipment and infrastructure with appropriate terms.
Risk management
Understand exposure to weather, prices, buyers and operational disruption.
Understand why access is difficult.
Cost and distance are among the reasons adults without accounts report to the Findex survey. Respondents can give multiple reasons; the chart therefore shows separate responses rather than shares of one total.
Why adults remain without an account
Reported reasons · unbanked adults in low- and middle-income economies
Multiple answers were allowed; the bars are separate responses and should not be added together.
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