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Use of Checks in Selected Countries

Photo portrait of Antar Diallo
Antar Diallo (Former) Economic Research Analyst
Headshot of Oz Shy
Oz Shy Senior Policy Adviser and Economist

Summary

This report presents a snapshot of check use as a means of payment in 20 countries from 2012 to 2021. Using charts and tables, we analyze the share of checks as a fraction of cashless payments, both in terms of volume and value and the average value of a check in US dollars based on purchase power parity (PPP) exchange rates. Then we examine and compare the rates of decline in the use of checks during the period 2012 to 2021 and the correlations between the use of checks and other cashless payments, both in terms of volume and value.

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Payments Data Report 2023-1
July 2023

JEL Classifications: E42

Key words: use of checks, international comparison of check use, payment methods

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.29338/rdr2023-01


The authors thank Nancy Condon and Tom Heintjes for comments and suggestions on an earlier draft. The views expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta or the Federal Reserve System.