Mobile payments are increasingly common

Mobile payments are becoming increasingly common – not least through Swish. In the Riksbank’s survey, 91 per cent have used Swish in the past month, up from 82 per cent in 2023. Services that integrate cards into mobile phones, such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, are also increasingly being used. Since 2018, those who used such a service in the last month have increased from 3 to 34 per cent. At the same time, the physical debit card is still one of the most widely used payment methods in Sweden. 85 per cent of respondents have paid using a physical debit card in the last month. You can see this in Diagram 1.

Figure 1. Common to pay by Swish and card Percentage of respondents who have paid by each payment method over the past 30 days

Unlike Swish and cash, there are several ways to make card payments. The survey results show that 98 per cent of respondents have used one or more of the options of physical debit or credit cards or services that integrate the card into the mobile phone. See Diagram 2. Overall, card payments are therefore the most common.

Figure 2. Almost everyone has paid by card in the last month Percentage of respondents who have paid with a debit card, credit card or services that integrate cards into mobile phones and percentage of respondents who have not used a card in the last 30 days

For in-store payments, the physical debit card is still the most common, as you can see in Diagram 3. 61 per cent said they used their card for their last purchase in a physical store. Although Swish is the payment method most people have used in the last 30 days, only 2 per cent say they paid with the service for their last purchase in a physical store. However, more people have used cards in their mobile phones, such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, for their last in-store purchase – an increase from 9 per cent in 2023 to 18 per cent in 2025. If all forms of card payments are added together, i.e. physical debit and credit cards and cards on mobile phones, they account for around 92 per cent of payments for most recent purchases in physical stores. At the same time, cash use continues to decline – 5 per cent said they paid cash for their last in-store purchase in 2025, compared to 10 per cent in 2023. Fifteen years ago, the corresponding figure was 40 per cent. You can see this in Diagram 4.

Figure 3. In-store purchases usually made by debit card Percentage of people paying by each payment method for their last in-store purchase, 2025

Almost one in two do not want to see cash use decline further

Although the use of cash is declining, many people still consider cash to be important. Almost half of respondents in the Riksbank’s survey consider it somewhat or very negative that the use of cash is decreasing in Sweden. People outside big cities and people over 65 are more likely to be negative about the decline in cash use. The share of people who are negative about this development is about the same as in 2023 but significantly higher than in 2022, when the share was 36 per cent. The differences in levels may be due to increased crisis awareness, partly due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This development and level of cash usage in Sweden is similar to that in other Nordic countries. In terms of the most recent in-store purchase, 5 per cent in Sweden said they used cash, while the corresponding figure in Norway is 2 per cent^[1] Retail Payment Services 2024 (Norges Bank). and in Denmark 8 per cent^[2] Betalningsrapport 2024 (Payments report 2024) (Danish Competition and Consumer Authority). . In the euro area, on the other hand, cash is still the most common method of payment in shops.^[3] Study on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area, SPACE 2024 (ECB). But even there, as in much of the world, cash use is declining.^[4] Measurement and Use of Cash by Half the World’s Population (IMF).

Figure 4. Few have paid cash for their last in-store purchase Percentage of people who paid cash for their last in-store purchase, 2010–2025

The fact that we use cash less frequently in Sweden has several explanations. For example, fewer businesses accept cash and many find it easier to pay digitally. Approximately one person in three who has wanted to pay in cash in-store has experienced that the store has not accepted it.

Many people also believe that they do not need cash in today’s society. A majority of households, seven out of ten, say they could manage without cash. In particular, younger people and people with higher incomes in big cities consider that they could manage without cash. Those who responded that they need cash say they need it in case of technological problems, such as when the internet is not working, and to strengthen their preparedness for crisis or war.

The proportion of people who say they have withdrawn cash from ATMs has fallen in recent years. 56 per cent have answered that they sometimes withdraw cash. This is a clear decline compared to 2023, when the corresponding figure was 71 per cent. Cash withdrawals of between SEK 200 and 400 are most common, and a majority of respondents withdraw cash less than once a month.

Following a stabilisation in the level of cash withdrawals from Bankomat’s ATMs in 2021 and 2022, they started to decrease again from 2023 onwards. You can see this in Diagram 5. Withdrawals increased by 14 per cent during the first half of 2025, compared with the corresponding period in 2024, according to Kontantbarometern (cash barometer report) from Bankomat.^[5] Kontantbarometern (Bankomat). Over the last ten years, the average decrease has been 10 per cent per year. One explanation for the faster decline in withdrawals may be that many of Bankomat’s ATMs were shut down between May and September 2025. On some occasions, this reached up to 30 per cent. According to Bankomat, this was due to problems associated with Bankomat starting to manage its own cash transports to its ATMs. For more information on ATM problems in summer 2025, see section “Continued challenges for cash”

Figure 5. Withdrawals of cash are continuing to decline Withdrawals and deposits via Bankomat AB’s ATMs and deposit machines, value in Swedish kronor per capita and six-month period

More people have shopped online

E-commerce has grown significantly in recent years and accounts for an increasing share of total retail sales.^[6] See, for example, E-barometern (Postnord) and E-handelsindikatorn (Swedish Commerce), retrieved on 19-02-2026. In the Riksbank’s survey, 80 per cent say they have shopped online in the past month, which is an increase from both 2022 and 2023, when the share was 75 per cent. In 2018, the figure was only 56 per cent.

People under 65 are very likely to shop online, with between 80 and 89 per cent having done so in the last month. But even in the 65–85 age group, 60 per cent said they had bought goods and services online in the past month.

The single most common payment methods for online purchases are Swish and 'buy now, pay later' services, such as Klarna. Since 2023, both of these payment methods have increased, with fewer people now reporting using debit cards. See Diagram 6. Respondents say they rarely experience problems paying online in e-commerce, although 6 in 10 have had problems at some point. If the percentages of all forms of card payments, i.e. debit and credit cards and services that integrate cards into mobile phones, are added together, they account for 64 per cent of the payment methods used by respondents for online purchases in the last 30 days.

Figure 6. Swish and 'buy now, pay later' are common online payment methods Percentage of people paying by each payment method in e-commerce over the past 30 days, 2025