Publication highlights:
- Remittance flows to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are projected to fall by 7 percent, to $508 billion in 2020, followed by a further decline of 7.5 percent, to $470 billion in 2021.
- The importance of remittances as a source of external financing for LMICs is expected to amplify in 2020, even with the expected decline. Remittance flows to LMICs touched a record high of $548 billion in 2019, larger than foreign direct investment flows ($534 billion) and overseas development assistance (about $166 billion). The gap between remittance flows and FDI is expected to widen further as FDI is expected to decline more sharply.
- For the first time in recent history, the stock of international migrants is likely to decline as new migration has slowed and return migration has increased.
- The global average cost of sending $200 was 6.8 percent in the third quarter of 2020, largely unchanged since the first quarter of 2019. This is more than double the Sustainable Development Goal target of 3 percent by 2030.
- There is a pressing need to improve relevant data collection systems. The crisis has exposed significant data gaps that have prevented real time monitoring of remittance flows and migratory movements including stranded migrants and returning migrants.