Economic & financial indicators

Financial exclusion

Some 2 billion people remain without a bank account, despite a 20% fall in the figure since 2011, according to a report from the World Bank. The paper highlights the role played by mobile technology in improving financial access across the developing world, where much of the fall occurred. Nearly a third of all bank-account holders in sub-Saharan Africa reported having a mobile-money account. Yet in spite of this progress, problems persist. More than half of adults in the poorest 40% of households in developing countries lack a bank account. And the gender gap has yet to be narrowed. In 2011, 7% more men than women had access to a bank account. In 2014 the figure remained the same.

This article appeared in the Economic & financial indicators section of the print edition under the headline "Financial exclusion"

Dynasties

From the April 18th 2015 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

Economic data, commodities and markets

Economic data, commodities and markets