Depositors with commercial banks (per 1,000 adults) - Country Ranking - Africa

Definition: Depositors with commercial banks are the reported number of deposit account holders at commercial banks and other resident banks functioning as commercial banks that are resident nonfinancial corporations (public and private) and households. For many countries data cover the total number of deposit accounts due to lack of information on account holders. The major types of deposits are checking accounts, savings accounts, and time deposits.

Source: International Monetary Fund, Financial Access Survey.

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

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Development Relevance: Access to finance can expand opportunities for all with higher levels of access and use of banking services associated with lower financing obstacles for people and businesses. A stable financial system that promotes efficient savings and investment is also crucial for a thriving democracy and market economy. There are several aspects of access to financial services: availability, cost, and quality of services. The development and growth of credit markets depend on access to timely, reliable, and accurate data on borrowers’ credit experiences. Access to credit can be improved by making it easy to create and enforce collateral agreements and by increasing information about potential borrowers’ creditworthiness. Lenders look at a borrower’s credit history and collateral. Where credit registries and effective collateral laws are absent - as in many developing countries - banks make fewer loans. Indicators that cover getting credit include the strength of legal rights index and the depth of credit information index.

Limitations and Exceptions: Access to finance can expand opportunities for all with higher levels of access and use of banking services associated with lower financing obstacles for people and businesses. A stable financial system that promotes efficient savings and investment is also crucial for a thriving democracy and market economy. There are several aspects of access to financial services: availability, cost, and quality of services. The development and growth of credit markets depend on access to timely, reliable, and accurate data on borrowers' credit experiences. Access to credit can be improved by making it easy to create and enforce collateral agreements and by increasing information about potential borrowers' creditworthiness. Lenders look at a borrower's credit history and collateral. Where credit registries and effective collateral laws are absent - as in many developing countries - banks make fewer loans. Indicators that cover getting credit include the strength of legal rights index and the depth of credit information index.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Depositors with commercial banks are deposit account holders at commercial banks and other resident banks functioning as commercial banks that are resident nonfinancial corporations (public and private) and households. It is calculated as (number of depositors)*1,000/adult population in the reporting country. The major types of deposits are checking accounts, savings accounts, and time deposits.

Aggregation method: Median

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Country-specific metadata can be found on the IMF’s FAS website at  http://fas.imf.org.