Checkout.com has introduced the inaugural Digital Economy Trust Index, ranking 16 countries based on consumer trust in digital platforms. The Index reveals a strong correlation between digital trust and GDP growth, highlighting the economic impact of consumer confidence in security, transparency, and emerging technologies.
MALAYSIA, 14 MAY 2025 – Checkout.com, a global leader in digital payments, has released the first Digital Economy Trust Index, a comprehensive ranking that evaluates consumer confidence in digital platforms across 16 countries. The Index focuses on three main pillars—usage and behaviour, trust in the system, and emerging technology adoption—and underscores the connection between digital trust and economic performance.
China leads the Index with a trust score of 8.6 out of 10, demonstrating advanced adoption of secure technologies such as biometric payments, AI tools, and digital wallets. Following closely are the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, countries that benefit from robust digital infrastructure and government-led innovation strategies.
Despite its highly digitised economy, Japan ranks lowest, with a trust score of only 2.6, revealing significant barriers to consumer confidence in new digital systems. Meanwhile, New Zealand emerges as a quiet leader among developed nations, ranking 5th overall and displaying strong trust in digital ID systems and AI.
The study found a direct correlation between digital trust and economic growth, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of -0.71 between GDP growth and trust ranking. This suggests that countries with higher digital trust often enjoy stronger economic expansion.
The Middle East stands out in the Index, with its top-ranked countries showing high confidence in biometric authentication, blockchain technology, and AI tools. Egypt, in particular, outperforms expectations given its lower digital payment volumes, driven by exceptional consumer trust in digital ID and AI capabilities.
Europe and North America, by contrast, lag behind due to growing concerns over privacy, deepfakes, and misuse of personal data. British consumers express fears of being scammed through deepfake technologies during online transactions. Germany and France also score low, largely due to skepticism around AI and blockchain.
Spain leads the European pack, while the Netherlands shows cautious engagement but high participation in circular economy practices. The United States shows full trust in online checkout processes but lags in blockchain adoption and consumer protection confidence. Canada shares similar trust concerns but reports fewer incidents of fraud.
Brazil’s strong fintech ecosystem earns it a 6th-place ranking, propelled by consumer trust in digital financial tools and widespread adoption of platforms like Pix. Its young population and rapid digitisation contribute significantly to trust growth.
The findings also support the idea of a “leapfrog effect”, where emerging economies that bypassed card-based payment systems are now leading in digital trust through direct adoption of mobile wallets and innovative payment systems.
The Digital Economy Trust Index is based on responses from 18,000 consumers across 16 countries, analysed through 18 dimensions of digital trust. The responses were scored across three core pillars and normalised to ensure consistent comparability.
The rankings also reveal that many advanced economies are being outpaced by more agile, tech-embracing nations, underlining the urgent need for trust-building measures in digital infrastructure. According to Checkout.com, boosting digital trust through education, robust security, and consumer protections is now a critical lever for national economic growth.
Top 5 Countries by Digital Trust:
- China
- United Arab Emirates
- Saudi Arabia
- Egypt
- New Zealand
Bottom 3 Countries:
14. Germany
15. France
16. Japan
Complete Rankings vs. GDP Growth (2014–2024):
| Country | Trust Rank | GDP Growth Rank |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1 | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 | 3 |
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | 4 |
| Egypt | 4 | 2 |
| New Zealand | 5 | 5 |
| Brazil | 6 | 15 |
| Australia | 7 | 8 |
| Spain | 8 | 7 |
| United States | 9 | 6 |
| United Kingdom | 10 | 12 |
| Canada | 11 | 11 |
| Netherlands | 12 | 9 |
| Sweden | 13 | 10 |
| Germany | 14 | 14 |
| France | 15 | 13 |
| Japan | 16 | 16 |
