Key findings

New research from Principal^® sheds light on consumer sentiment. 

Across Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, people are facing tough choices driven by present-day financial challenges.

Markets that have strong support from the government and the financial system are usually developed markets and tend to have a lower level of employer support.

Singapore’s No. 1 position is reflective of its robust performance in the government support and financial system support pillars, where it ranked first and third respectively.

The four Nordic markets analyzed—Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway—all rank in the top 10 for overall financial inclusion, driven by strong performances in the government support pillar.

Eight out of the bottom 10 ranked markets for overall financial inclusion are located in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, including the bottom five.

The overall Global Financial Inclusion Index is accompanied by two sector rankings, tracking how employer support of financial inclusion shows up across different industries in surveyed markets.

Improving financial inclusion may accelerate progress toward combatting global challenges.

How do people rate the access they have to financial support, products, tools, and services?

The strong performance of the United States in the Global Financial Inclusion Index can be attributed to its excellent scores in the financial system support and employer support pillars.