Global Remittances Guide

Remittances are among the most tangible links between migration and development. They are larger than foreign direct investment and official development assistance received by low- and middle-income countries. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, officially recorded remittances hit a record-high $719 billion in 2019, including $548 billion to low- and middle-income countries, the World Bank estimates. The numbers fell in 2020, as the pandemic scrambled economic fortunes. Overall remittances fell to $702 billion in 2020, with $539 billion going to low- and middle-income countries.

The tools below present data on remittances. Select one of the maps below to visualize global remittance flows between 1980 and 2020, numerically or as a share of GDP. Learn about remittance trends since 1970 and the relationships between remittance-sending and -receiving countries.

Note: Remittances are the sum of two components tracked by the International Monetary Fund: 1) the total income of migrant workers and other international migrants; and 2) personal transfers (cash and in-kind transfers) between residents and nonresidents. Read more about definitions and the data compiled by the World Bank here: https://migrationdataportal.org/themes/remittances. The World Bank data only capture remittances sent through formal channels such as banks and money transfer operators. Currently, no uniform and authoritative historical data on informal flows exist. Given the widespread use of informal channels, the data should be regarded as underestimates of total flows.

Total Remittance Inflows and Outflows, 1980 - Present View total remittance inflows and outflows by country since 1980. Remittance volume is displayed either by current U.S. dollar value or as a share of total gross domestic product. Countries are also colored according to whether they are majority remittance-receiving or remittance-sending. Remittance Trends over Time, 1980 - Present This time series shows annual remittance inflows and outflows by country from 1980 to present (either current U.S. dollar value or share of total gross domestic product). Multiple countries can be selected and compared. Bilateral Remittance Flows This data tool displays the remittance flows between countries and also provides estimates of the relevant international migrant population. For example, when displaying remittance inflows, the receiving country's emigrant population in the sending country is given.

A full Remittances Glossary is available along with Further Readings on Migration and Development topics.

This data tool is a project of MPI's Migrants, Migration, and Development program with generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the technical assistance of Dilip Ratha and Sanket Mohapatra from the Development Prospects Group, The World Bank, and research assistance of Roberto Munster.