The biggest receivers of remittances in the world included India, Mexico, and China in 2023, with each country receiving several billions worth of dollars. This is according to a database that tries to model money sent internationally from one party to another. Remittances typically refer to money sent from migrant workers back home to family and friends, although there are other forms of this. Remittances can, for example, include pensioners who have a second home in a foreign country. Nevertheless, Asia Pacific is often referred to as the main receiver of remittances.
Largest remittance countries worldwide in 2023, by estimated value of remittance inflow towards said country
(in billion U.S. dollars)
All figures are estimates and in current U.S. dollars; This statistic follows the BPM 6 definitions of remittances, differentiating between "personal" and "total" remittances even if the two figures are often the same. See the "Details" tab for more information.
Supplementary notes
The numbers provided have been calculated by Statista, using definitions of remittances set in BPM 6 - the Sixth Edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual. The IMF used the following remittance definitions:
Personal remittances: The sum of "personal transfers", "compensation of employees" and "capital transfers between households";
Total remittances: The sum of "1. Personal remittances" with "social benefits";
Total remittances and transfers to Non-Profit Institutions Serving Households (NPISHs): The sum of "2. Total remittances" with "current transfers to NPISHs" and "capital transfers to NPISHs"
The categories of "personal transfers", "compensation of employees", "capital transfers between households", "social benefits", "current transfers to NPISHs" and "capital transfers to NPISHs" are all found in the IMF's Balance of Payments (BOP) database. Both the World Bank - and its KNOMAD department - adopted this IMF database in all their reportings on remittances.
Only the first two IMF categories - "personal transfers" and "compensation of employees" - are reported, though. All other categories are supplementary, meaning data is often not available or researched. This effectively means remittance data is incomplete - as it only covers (parts of)Â 1. Personal remittances.
Due to this lack of additional information, calculations on 1. Personal remittances and 2. Total remittances regularly lead to the same results. However, sources tend to write "total remittances" when the figures technically refer to "personal remittances". To avoid this confusion, Statista follows the BPM 6 wording of "personal remittances", unless a country does provide additional data that would lead to different figures that would be accounted for in "total remittances".
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Statista. (July 24, 2024). Largest remittance countries worldwide in 2023, by estimated value of remittance inflow towards said country (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/962827/leading-remittance-receiving-countries/
Statista. "Largest remittance countries worldwide in 2023, by estimated value of remittance inflow towards said country (in billion U.S. dollars) ." Chart. July 24, 2024. Statista. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/962827/leading-remittance-receiving-countries/
Statista. (2024). Largest remittance countries worldwide in 2023, by estimated value of remittance inflow towards said country (in billion U.S. dollars) . Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 17, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/962827/leading-remittance-receiving-countries/
Statista. "Largest Remittance Countries Worldwide in 2023, by Estimated Value of Remittance Inflow towards Said Country (in Billion U.S. Dollars) ." Statista, Statista Inc., 24 Jul 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/962827/leading-remittance-receiving-countries/
Statista, Largest remittance countries worldwide in 2023, by estimated value of remittance inflow towards said country (in billion U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/962827/leading-remittance-receiving-countries/ (last visited November 17, 2024)
Largest remittance countries worldwide in 2023, by estimated value of remittance inflow towards said country (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph], Statista, July 24, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/962827/leading-remittance-receiving-countries/