The U.S. just got a bad report card on money skills. A new global study from Remitly puts America at 25th place out of the countries measured, behind places like Mexico and nearly every country in Europe and Asia-Pacific. This matters because money mistakes cost real dollars, and most people say they never learned the basics in school.

Quick Take

• The U.S. ranked 25th globally in financial literacy, below Mexico (74.0%).
• The Netherlands, Norway, Finland, and Austria took top spots, all over 82%.
• 82.9% of people worldwide say they taught themselves about money, mostly online.
• Over half (51.7%) have asked an AI tool like ChatGPT for financial advice in the past year.
• 93.6% of people globally want financial education to be required in schools.

Where the US Stands

The study ranks countries by how well people understand basic money topics. Europe swept the top. The Netherlands came in second at 86.1%, followed by Norway, Finland, and Austria, all scoring above 82%.

Australia landed at 11th place with 79.5%. Canada came in at 22nd with 75.5%. The U.S. trailed both, sitting at 25th with a score that fell short of Mexico's 74.0%.

The UAE and South Africa took the last two spots, at 70.8% and 69.4%.

The U.S. scored lower than every European and Asia-Pacific country in the study, and even fell behind Mexico.

That is a rough spot for the world's largest economy. It means everyday Americans may be making big money choices — mortgages, credit cards, retirement savings — without the basic tools to get them right.

Why People Are Teaching Themselves

Schools are not filling the gap, and people know it. About 70% of respondents globally said school did not teach them enough to handle real-life money decisions, things like budgeting or buying a home.

So people are turning to the internet instead. Nearly 83% of respondents say they are self-taught when it comes to money, mostly through online sources.

Martyn Saville, global consumer protection manager at Remitly, says the problem is everywhere.

"What stands out the most in this study is how universal the financial education gap is," Saville said. "These are skills for life."

The AI Factor

Here is where things get a little risky. More than half of people surveyed, 51.7%, say they have used an AI chatbot like ChatGPT to answer money questions in the last year.

That sounds convenient. But recent research found AI chatbots often get financial answers wrong, sometimes most of the time. So people may be trusting advice that is flat-out incorrect, without knowing it.

Saville also flagged a newer trend: "finfluencers," or social media influencers who give financial tips. He warned that when these influencers promote a financial product, it does not mean the product is actually good for you. A 2026 study from Finra, a group that oversees financial brokers, found that people who follow finfluencers face a higher risk of getting scammed.

What People Want Instead

Despite all this confusion, people agree on one fix. A massive 93.6% of respondents across every country surveyed say financial education should be a required part of school for kids.

Here is how the top and bottom of the rankings compare:

The U.S. also has a more pressing problem tied to this gap. Nearly half of Americans say they now use credit just to cover everyday costs like groceries or bills, not for big purchases. That is a sign that many households are stretched thin and may not fully understand the cost of borrowing.

Why it matters

Low financial literacy is not just a trivia score, it shapes real decisions like how much debt people carry and whether they save enough for retirement. With AI tools stepping in where schools and parents have not, the risk of bad advice spreading fast is real. Expect more calls for mandatory money classes in schools, and more scrutiny of AI chatbots giving financial tips.

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