Almost-universal UPI usability in 15-29 age group in India, finds survey

The study found that about 85.5% of Indian households have at least one smartphone, while 86.3% have access to the internet within the home

Nearly all individuals aged 15 to 29 are capable of using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for online banking via mobile phones, according to a recent 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," found the 'Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom, 2025', released by the statistics ministry on Thursday.

 

Additionally, 97.1 per cent of people in the 15–29 age group had used a mobile phone — either a basic phone or a smartphone — within the three months before they were surveyed.

 

In rural areas of the country, 96.8 per cent of respondents in this age group reported using a mobile phone during the same period for personal calls or internet access. Urban centres showed a slightly higher mobile usage rate at 97.6 per cent. 

 

Smartphone ownership is also high among young mobile phone users: 95.5 per cent in rural areas and 97.6 per cent in urban areas of those aged 15–29 reported owning a smartphone.

 

At the national level, the study found that about 85.5 per cent of Indian households have at least one smartphone, while 86.3 per cent have access to the internet within the home.

 

Conducted as part of the 80th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), the Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom (CMS:T) ran from January to March 2025. 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).

 

(With inputs from PTI)