71 per cent of businesses in retail, as well as restaurants and hairdressers accept cash. However, there are major differences regarding acceptance of cash between sectors in the retail trade. Significantly more businesses selling daily consumer goods accept cash than those selling durables. Cash acceptance is highest in the retail of essential goods, where 85 per cent accept cash, followed by clothing retailers (see figure 7). Retail sales of building materials have the lowest cash acceptance rate at only 45 per cent.

Figure 7. Wide variation in cash acceptance across industries Percentage of respondents who accept cash

In the service industries, a higher proportion of restaurants than hairdressers accept cash. Businesses with customers spending up to SEK 1,000 on average are more likely to accept cash than other businesses. Cash acceptance then declines as the size of average purchases increases.

The most important factor for businesses to accept cash is that customers demand it. Additional reasons that many companies cite as important are that they want to include certain customers and be prepared for crisis and war.

In the Swedish Trade Federation's annual survey among its members, cash acceptance was 91 per cent in 2024, in other words, significantly higher than the 71 per cent that, according to the Riksbank's survey, accept cash in retail. It is difficult to know exactly what explains the difference of 20 percentage points, but the Swedish Trade Federation's survey is only aimed at their members, while the Riksbank's survey is a random sample from all companies in the respective industry.