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| The Global Remittances Guide | Home > The Global Remittances Guide |
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Remittances are among the most tangible links between migration and development. Officially recorded flows totaled over US$280 billion worldwide in 2006. Nearly three-quarters were sent to developing countries. In 22 countries, remittances were equal to more than 10 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2006; in six countries they were equal to more than 20 percent of GDP.
Learn about remittance trends and patterns of the world, six regions, and
the top remittances-receiving countries in terms of the volume and the share
of GDP, by selecting the geography of interest. Click on one of the two maps
below to visualize global remittance flows, either numerically or as a share
of GDP.
Note: These 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. However, where estimates
of informal remittances are available, we include them in the remittances profiles.
Given the widespread use of informal remittance channels in many countries,
the remittance data presented in this guide should be regarded as underestimates
of the total flows.
| World | ||
Latin America and the Caribbean  |
East Asia and the Pacific |
South Asia |
| Middle East and Northen Africa |
Sub-Saharan Africa |
Europe and Central Asia |
While recognizing the wealth of data and research that already exists on remittances, our Global Remittances Guide serves as a central hub for the dissemination of data on remittances as they are linked to both international migration and development. To provide a portrait of global remittance flows, the guide leverages remittance data compiled by the World Bank’s Development Prospects Group on more than 150 countries.
The regional and country profiles displayed through the Global Remittances Guide:
- Provide time series of formal remittance flows;
- Compare remittances to GDP and critical financial flows including foreign direct investment, commercial service exports, merchandise exports, agricultural exports, and official development assistance;
- Provide relevant international migration and socio-economic development data;
- Display estimates of informal remittances from various sources;
- Identify national economic and demographic sources relevant to remittances; and,
- Suggest references for further research.
Technical terms are linked to definitions and a full glossary is available.
This data tool is a project of the Migration Policy Institute's Migrants, Migration, and Development program. It was made possible with generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the technical assistance of Dilip Ratha and Sanket Moahapatra from the Development Prospects Group, The World Bank.