Cash Index 2025. With the FOREX Cash Index you can see where in the world you need to have cash with you and approximately how much. The Cash Index is updated on a rolling basis and is an approximate percentage.
The use of cash varies greatly in the world, but it is low in the Nordic countries compared to many other countries – in Sweden and Norway, the use of cash is among the lowest in the world. Then it is easy to forget that cash is needed in many other parts of the world and especially when we are traveling and make smaller expenses such as taxis, tips, the beach, markets, grocery stores and restaurant visits.
Spend your holiday on holiday – not looking for ATMs – so remember to arrange your currency before you travel.
Why would I need cash? Of course, it differs from country to country, but most often you need cash at least when you have to pay smaller expenses such as taxis, tips, sun loungers and food on the beach, at markets, in grocery stores but also in restaurants, especially in smaller shops and in smaller towns.
Sometimes it is not possible to get hold of a country's own currency before departure. In many cases, you can then supplement your travel fund with a major currency such as US dollars or Euro. Find your destination among our destinations, contact customer service or ask us in store and we can help you with any alternative currencies.
ATMs can usually be found at your destination. However, many ATMs charge their own fees, plus your card also often charges a fee for cash withdrawals abroad. Therefore, always check what fees the withdrawals are associated with, so that you do not get a bad surprise when you check your bank statement.
Last but not least, we think that the holiday should be devoted to holidays and not to looking for ATMs - so plan your currency purchase in peace and quiet before you travel.
Comfortably
You don't have to look for ATMs and can devote yourself to your holiday instead.
Affordable
You secure the exchange rate and do not have to worry about high mark-ups in the ATMs.
Viable
You almost always need more cash than you think abroad.
The data on which the FOREX Cash Index is based is published by Statista, Numbeo and various global reports. The Cash Index is also based, and is an approximate percentage, on reports from various countries' central and national banks. In addition, it is an "average" value based on annual reports and reports from, among others, Cash Essentials, G4S, Euro Monitor, World Bank, Statrys and The Federal Reserve.
In the ECB's data, which is based on the "Study on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area", the survey material includes, among others, groceries, non-durable goods and hotels and restaurants.
The approximate percentages are estimates based on typical payment methods in the countries listed. Actual figures may vary depending on specific locations and facilities.
For a complete list of sources, see the list below.
When it comes to groceries, tourists are more likely to make smaller purchases and may therefore be more inclined to pay with cash than for larger purchases. Purchases of non-durable goods are not as common for tourists as for the local population. Hotels and restaurants are included and do not take into account that the cost of a restaurant visit is more often paid in cash than the hotel room, which is more often paid for with other means of payment. Therefore, it is not unlikely that the proportion of payments made in cash is even higher for travelers and tourists than is reported in surveys.
In addition, based on the statistics reported in the cash index, we can deduce that the average of all countries' cash use is around 50%, which means that about half of all purchases abroad are made in cash.