UPI Usage Soars in India: Govt Survey

New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) Almost all persons in the age group of 15-29 years are able to use a unified payment interface (UPI) to perform online banking transactions using mobile handsets, according to a survey.

"Among the persons in the age group 15-29 years who reported the ability to perform online banking transactions, about 99.5 per cent of persons reported to have the ability to perform online banking transactions through UPI," highlighted the Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom, 2025 released by statistics ministry on Thursday.

Among the individuals in the age group 15-29 years, approximately 97.1 per cent of persons reported using a mobile phone (including smartphones) during the last three months from the date of survey.

In rural areas, approximately 96.8 per cent of persons in the age group 15-29 years used mobile phones at least once during the last three months for making personal calls and/ or accessing the internet, it stated.

The use of mobile phones is estimated at 97.6 per cent in urban areas.

In the age group 15-29 years, around 95.5 per cent of persons own a smartphone among those persons who own a mobile phone (including smartphone) in rural areas.

In urban areas, about 97.6 per centof persons own a smartphone in the same age group.

In rural areas, approximately 92.7 per cent of persons in the age group 15-29 years used the internet at least once during the last three months, the survey highlighted adding that whereas, in urban areas, about 95.7 per centof persons of the same age group used the internet.

According to the study in India, approximately 85.5 per cent of households possessed at least one smartphone.

Around 86.3 per cent of households in India have access to internet within the household premises.

As a part of the 80th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), the Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom (CMS: T) was conducted from January to March, 2025. This initiative marks a significant step by National Statistics Office (NSO) towards implementing short-duration, focused surveys. The total number of households surveyed was 34,950 (19,071 in rural areas and 15,879 in urban areas) and the total number of persons enumerated was 1,42,065 (82,573 in rural areas and 59,492 in urban areas).