South Africa and Ivory Coast accounted for a combined 25 percent of the total outflow of remittance-sending countries in Africa in 2021. Remittances from the 54 countries and territories in this region ranged from 1.7 million U.S. dollars to four billion U.S. dollars, with a country like Nigeria accounting for roughly six percent of Africa's outflow,. Remittances refer to cross-border payments to family or friends and are often associated with migrant workers sending money back home to friends or relatives back in their communities of origin. It is estimated that about one in seven people worldwide are involved with remittances - substantially impacting payment behavior in, especially, Asia and Latin America. Africa's outflow largely stayed within the continent, especially within Sub-Saharan Africa.
Top remittance sending countries and territories in Africa, outflow by receiving region in 2021
(in million U.S. dollars)
Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Egypt, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Cape Verde, Lesotho, Eswatini
Survey time period
December 2022
Special properties
Remittance figures have a publication delay. Numbers cover 2021, but were reported in late 2022. As of November 2024, it is unclear when numbers will update - as the KNOMAD program also has been discontinued; All numbers are in current (nominal) U.S. dollars; See the "Details" tab for more information on the source methodology.
Supplementary notes
Regional figures were collected and calculated by Statista.
The source adds the following information:
No numbers are available for Venezuela;
Due to political and economic situations, the flows between certain countries was considered to be 0 (zero). These countries included: India and Pakistan (and vice versa), Lebanon and Israel (and vice versa), and Azerbaijan and Armenia (and vice versa);
The source emphasizes several times that the numbers provided are estimates, as the data suffers from several issues. These relate to, for example, the frequency of migrant data updating per country, the lack of data on informal money transfers or the possibility of retirees moving abroad but then withdrawing savings from their country of origin.
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Statista. (December 17, 2022). Top remittance sending countries and territories in Africa, outflow by receiving region in 2021 (in million U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 18, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1388075/top-remittance-outflow-countries-in-africa/
Statista. "Top remittance sending countries and territories in Africa, outflow by receiving region in 2021 (in million U.S. dollars)." Chart. December 17, 2022. Statista. Accessed December 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1388075/top-remittance-outflow-countries-in-africa/
Statista. (2022). Top remittance sending countries and territories in Africa, outflow by receiving region in 2021 (in million U.S. dollars). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1388075/top-remittance-outflow-countries-in-africa/
Statista. "Top Remittance Sending Countries and Territories in Africa, Outflow by Receiving Region in 2021 (in Million U.S. Dollars)." Statista, Statista Inc., 17 Dec 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1388075/top-remittance-outflow-countries-in-africa/
Statista, Top remittance sending countries and territories in Africa, outflow by receiving region in 2021 (in million U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1388075/top-remittance-outflow-countries-in-africa/ (last visited December 18, 2024)
Top remittance sending countries and territories in Africa, outflow by receiving region in 2021 (in million U.S. dollars) [Graph], Statista, December 17, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1388075/top-remittance-outflow-countries-in-africa/
