Ranked: The Countries Sending the Most Remittances Abroad

The New Diplomat
Writer

Ad

Nigeria’s FX Reserves Surge to $41bn Under Tinubu, But Still Lower Than Obasanjo’s $67bn

By Abiola Olawale Nigeria’s foreign exchange (FX) reserves have reached a 44-month high, climbing to $41 billion as of August 19, 2025, according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). According to recent data from the CBN, this milestone reflects a steady accumulation driven by strategic economic reforms, increased oil production, and enhanced…

Trump slaps sanctions on Canadian International Criminal Court judge

The Trump administration slapped a Canadian judge on the International Criminal Court with sanctions as the U.S. State Department continues to push back on the tribunal. The State Department said Wednesday that Kimberly Prost was sanctioned for “ruling to authorize the ICC’s investigation into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.” The ICC website says Prost has been…

Reprieve as Trump’s half-billion-dollar civil fraud penalty is voided by court

By Obinna Uballa A New York state appeals court on Thursday overturned a civil fraud penalty of more than $500 million imposed on President Donald Trump, ruling that the monetary sanction violated the U.S. Constitution. The Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court held that the fine—initially set at $454 million and now…

Ad

We chart the top 10 countries by the most remittances sent, in current U.S. dollars, based on 2022 data from Knomad.

Specifically, these transfer totals shown represent personal remittances, or money sent between residents in one country to another, including personal transfers and compensation for work done abroad. It does not include, and is separate from, foreign investment.

Top 10 Countries by Personal Remittances Sent (2000-2022)

The U.S. has consistently been home to the world’s largest immigrant population (45 million people in 2022), a key reason for topping the ranks of sending money abroad over the last two decades.

As a result, countries with largest diasporas in the U.S.—including Indian, the Philippines, and Mexico—tend to be the biggest recipients of these flows.

Top Countries Sending Money Abroad 2000 Top Countries Sending Money Abroad (2022) 2022
🇺🇸 U.S. $35B 🇺🇸 U.S. $82B
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia $15B 🇦🇪 UAE $40B
🇦🇪 UAE $14B 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia $39B
🇩🇪 Germany $9B 🇨🇭 Switzerland $34B
🇨🇭 Switzerland $6B 🇨🇳 China $18B
🇬🇧 UK $5B 🇰🇼 Kuwait $18B
🇫🇷 France $5B 🇩🇪 Germany $17B
🇰🇷 South Korea $4B 🇱🇺 Luxembourg $16B
🇮🇱 Israel $3B 🇳🇱 Netherlands $15B
🇱🇺 Luxembourg $3B 🇫🇷 France $15B

Note: Figures rounded.

Similarly, immigrants make up nearly 80% of the population in the UAE (ranked #2 with $80 billion sent), the highest proportion of any country in the world.

Setting the countries sending the most money abroad side-by-side with those receiving money from abroad, reveals broad geographic patterns. Advanced economies (in North America and Europe) are the biggest senders to developing economies in Asia and Africa.

Finally, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Luxembourg are considered offshore financial centers and can be used as intermediary stops in the movement of money through the world.

Why are personal remittances important anyway? To start, a staggering one billion people (roughly one out of eight people in the world) depend on money sent back home. In 2022, 200 million migrant workers sent $800 billion to their families in home countries. Three-quarters of the money received is spent on basic necessities like food, medical, and housing expenses.

Thus, personal remittances represent, perhaps, one of the biggest informal engines of social transformation.

Source: Visual Capitalist

Ad

X whatsapp