Cash Use Has Dropped to Just 13 Percent of All Transactions: RBA Report

Only 7 percent of Australians are ‘high cash users’ who rely on cash for 80 percent or more of in-person transactions.

People queue for ATM machines outside a branch of the Commonwealth Bank in Melbourne on Aug. 8, 2018. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Cash use for everyday transactions in Australia has dropped sharply, from 70 percent in 2007 to just 13 percent in 2022, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) latest consumer payments survey.

Report released on Jan. 30 says while digital payments dominate, cash remains essential for some Australians.