* indicates monthly or quarterly data series

Remittances as percent of GDP, 2023:

The average for 2023 based on 18 countries was 8.01 percent. The highest value was in Nicaragua: 26.18 percent and the lowest value was in Chile: 0.02 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Measure: percent; Source: The World Bank
Select indicator
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Countries Remittances, percent of GDP, 2023 Global rank Available data
Nicaragua 26.18 1 1992 - 2023
Honduras 25.58 2 1974 - 2023
El Salvador 23.94 3 1976 - 2023
Haiti 21.4 4 1971 - 2023
Guatemala 19.46 5 1977 - 2023
Domin. Rep. 8.65 6 1970 - 2023
Ecuador 4.33 7 1976 - 2023
Mexico 3.7 8 1979 - 2023
Bolivia 3.21 9 1976 - 2023
Colombia 2.78 10 1970 - 2023
Peru 1.58 11 1990 - 2023
Paraguay 1.4 12 1975 - 2023
Costa Rica 0.73 13 1977 - 2023
Panama 0.64 14 1977 - 2023
Argentina 0.25 15 1983 - 2023
Brazil 0.2 16 1989 - 2023
Uruguay 0.16 17 1979 - 2023
Chile 0.02 18 1983 - 2023



Definition: Personal remittances comprise personal transfers and compensation of employees. Personal transfers consist of all current transfers in cash or in kind made or received by resident households to or from nonresident households. Personal transfers thus include all current transfers between resident and nonresident individuals. Compensation of employees refers to the income of border, seasonal, and other short-term workers who are employed in an economy where they are not resident and of residents employed by nonresident entities. Data are the sum of two items defined in the sixth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual: personal transfers and compensation of employees.

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