物々交換が現在まで唯一の支払い形態であった場合、世界は今日のものとは大きく異なるでしょう。標準化された交換媒体がないため、経済的取引ははるかに複雑で効率が低下します。人々は、彼らが望む正確な商品やサービスを持っていて、彼らが提供しなければならない正確な商品やサービスを望んでいる個人を見つける必要があります。このタイプの直接交換は物々交換と呼ばれ、最も早い形式の支払いでした。

そのような世界では、私たちが今日知っているように、お金は存在しません。代わりに、人々はお互いに物資やサービスを交換することに頼らなければなりません。人々は自分が望むものを持ち、自分が持っているものを望んでいる人を見つける必要があるので、これはより困難になります。人々は、自分が得意なものを生産し、他の人と取引するのではなく、必要なすべての商品とサービスを生産する必要があるため、専門化の不足につながる可能性があります。

また、お金の不足は、富を貯蔵することを困難にし、人々が時間の経過とともに資産を蓄積することを困難にします。これにより、人々が教育、トレーニング、または新しいビジネスベンチャーなどに投資することが困難になります。

さらに、お金がないと、政府が市民に課税することも困難になり、道路、学校、病院などの公共財やサービスに資金を提供することが困難になります。次に、これは人々の生活の質と生活水準に影響を与えます。

全体として、もし物々交換が支払いの唯一の形態のままであれば、世界は今日とは大きく異なるように見えるでしょう。物々交換の複雑さは、貿易と商業の発展を大幅に遅らせ、はるかに高度で繁栄していない世界につながりました。
If barter had remained the only form of payment up until the present day, the world would be vastly different from what it is today. The lack of a standardized medium of exchange would make economic transactions much more complicated and less efficient. People would need to find individuals who have the exact goods or services they want and who also want the exact goods or services that they have to offer. This type of direct exchange is called barter, and it was the earliest form of payment.

In such a world, money would not exist as we know it today. Instead, people would have to resort to bartering goods and services with each other. This would make trade more difficult, as people would need to find someone who has what they want and wants what they have. This could lead to a lack of specialization, as people would have to produce all the goods and services they need, rather than just producing what they are good at and trading with others for the rest.

The lack of money would also make it difficult to store wealth, making it difficult for people to accumulate assets over time. This would in turn make it difficult for people to invest in things like education, training, or new business ventures, which would hold back economic progress.

Furthermore, the absence of money would also make it difficult for governments to tax their citizens, making it challenging to fund public goods and services such as roads, schools, and hospitals. In turn, this would impact the overall quality of life and standard of living for people.

Overall, if barter remained the only form of payment, the world would look vastly different than it does today. The complexity of barter would have greatly slowed the development of trade and commerce, leading to a much less advanced and less prosperous world.