UPI growth not uniform across states

India’s UPI success story looks very different once population is taken out of the equation. Headline transaction volumes suggest a nationwide digital payments surge, but per-capita data shows a country moving at very different speeds, reported TOI.Normalising state-wise UPI volumes and values by population as of November 2025 reveals stark contrasts in adoption depth. Maharashtra, the country’s largest state economy, records nearly seven times the per-capita UPI transactions of Bihar. Telangana, ranked second nationally, logs more than six times the average usage seen in Tripura.Also Read: India’s economic numbers are getting an upgrade: What’s changing, why it matters, and what the Centre wantsSouthern and western states dominate the upper end of the chart. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala sit comfortably above the national mean, while Jharkhand, Assam and West Bengal remain near the bottom, underscoring a persistent digital divide.UPI today processes over 20 billion transactions a month and accounts for roughly 85% of India’s digital payments. Yet intensity of use tracks income levels, urbanisation and merchant acceptance far more closely than sheer population size.Once adjusted for population, smaller and more urbanised regions rise to the top. Delhi leads with about 23.9 transactions per person each month, followed closely by Goa at 23.3, Telangana at 22.6 and Chandigarh at 22.5. Among large states, Maharashtra stands out with roughly 17.4 transactions per person, reflecting dense urban networks and widespread QR code adoption.Transaction values tell a similar story. Telangana tops the list with a per-capita monthly UPI value of around Rs 34,800, ahead of Goa at Rs 33,500 and Delhi at Rs 31,300. This points to routine use of UPI for higher-ticket payments across organised retail, services and professional activity.Also Read: Policy reforms, digital surge power India's insurance sector in 2025: LeadersAt the other end of the spectrum, adoption remains shallow. Tripura and Bihar average fewer than four transactions per person a month, with per-capita values of roughly Rs 5,100 and Rs 5,400. Jharkhand, Assam and West Bengal cluster close behind. In practical terms, a Delhi resident uses UPI about six times as often as someone in Bihar or Tripura, highlighting gaps in person-to-merchant infrastructure across eastern and north-eastern India.Regional patterns reinforce the divide. A south-west corridor stretching from Maharashtra through Karnataka to Telangana shows consistently high frequency and value, signalling mature digital ecosystems. The north-east presents a mixed picture: Tripura and Assam lag, while Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim report relatively higher per-capita usage, possibly reflecting greater reliance on digital payments in difficult terrain where cash access is limited.The takeaway is a multi-speed digital economy. As UPI enters its next phase of growth, closing the per-capita gap will hinge on wider smartphone penetration, more reliable connectivity and faster merchant onboarding in lagging states. The technology is already ubiquitous; its depth of use is not.With inputs from TOI