2026-03-25 · percent of GDP
Remittances are double-digit GDP in some countries
Migrant wages sent home dwarf aid in places.
In some economies, the biggest inflow isn't aid or investment — it's migrant wages. Remittances top 10% of GDP in countries accounting for 12% of this grid, and in those places pay sent home can dwarf aid. Asia & Pacific carries 45.8% of the population-weighted total, Africa 24.6%, the Americas 17.6%. Where dependence runs this deep, a hiring slowdown abroad lands like a recession at home.
1 cell = 0.1 percent of GDP (0.1% of military spending (population-weighted)) · 1,000 cells
Context
When remittances pass 10% of GDP, migrant wages stop being a safety net and become a structural pillar of the economy, funding household consumption and imports at national scale. In the spotlight countries, money sent home can dwarf official aid flows.
Asia & Pacific dominates the population-weighted picture at 45.8%, ahead of Africa at 24.6% and the Americas at 17.6%. The 12% of the total where remittances exceed 10% of GDP marks the economies most exposed to shocks: a hiring slowdown or currency swing in host countries feeds straight into their national income.
Shares are measured in percent of GDP, drawing on World Bank World Development Indicators for the 2026 edition.
Military expenditure as percent of GDP (World Bank WDI).
Share and export
Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2026-03-25-pol-wb-remittances-gdp