Remittances rise despite global migration crackdown

Remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries have continued to grow despite tighter immigration controls and increased deportations in several major migrant destination countries, according to new data from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Several countries in Europe and the Americas have strengthened border enforcement and introduced tighter measures targeting irregular migration, while deporting undocumented migrants. However, IFAD's latest report, Sending Money Home, shows that remittances have remained resilient.

Central and South America recorded some of the highest remittance inflows, led by Mexico with US$64.4 billion and Colombia with US$13.1 billion.

In Africa, Northern Africa recorded the highest inflows, led by Egypt, while Southern Africa recorded the lowest volumes and levels of dependence on remittances.

Speaking during a briefing at United Nations headquarters in New York, Pedro De Vasconcelos, manager of IFAD's Financing Facility for Remittances, said the available data did not show a major decline in remittance flows.

"Well, the figures right now do not show actually a reduction in remittances. Figures that support the study collected from the World Bank, IMF, and national central banks and institutions do not reflect a massive reduction in flows," he said.

De Vasconcelos said remittances were largely driven by the needs of families receiving the money, particularly for essential expenses such as healthcare.

"The reality behind that is that this is family driven. So the needs of the families is the first one that it is addressed. The objective for millions of families is to secure their health plans back home. So if that involves sending more, tapping into their savings, they will do so," he said.

According to the report, Africa's remittance inflows increased by 86 percent over the past decade to approximately US$124 billion in 2025.

Over the same period, Africa's population grew by 24 percent, while the number of emigrants increased by 32 percent to nearly 46 million.

More than half of African emigrants remain within the continent, with Europe serving as the largest destination outside Africa, followed by Asia and North America.

The data also highlights the high dependence of some smaller African economies on remittances. Remittance inflows accounted for about 22 percent of gross domestic product in The Gambia and 21 percent in Liberia, Comoros and Lesotho.

About 34 percent of Africa's remittance inflows, equivalent to US$42 billion, reached rural areas, supporting household consumption, healthcare and education while helping communities respond to economic and climate-related shocks.

Despite the growth in flows, Africa remains the most expensive region for sending remittances. The average cost of sending US$200 stood at 7.2 percent in 2025, considerably above the Sustainable Development Goal target of less than 3 percent.

Eastern and Southern Europe also recorded significant growth in remittance inflows, which increased by 58 percent to US$30.2 billion in 2025.

Ukraine remained the region's largest recipient, with annual inflows rising from US$9 billion in 2016 to US$12 billion in 2025. Serbia's remittance receipts more than doubled from US$3 billion to US$7 billion over the same period.

Bosnia and Herzegovina saw inflows increase from US$2 billion to US$3 billion, while Albania's receipts rose from about US$1 billion to US$3 billion.

Ukraine, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Belarus collectively received about US$27 billion, representing nearly 90 percent of the regional total.

The average cost of sending US$200 to Eastern and Southern Europe declined from 6.7 percent in 2016 to 4.6 percent in 2025, although it remained above the Sustainable Development Goal target.