GCC Outward Remittances Reach a Record 161 Billion Dollars in 2025, the World’s Highest
Workers in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries sent about 161 billion dollars abroad in 2025, the highest value of outward workers’ remittances in the world, according to a new report by the GCC Statistical Center. The total grew 13.6 percent, or about 19 billion dollars, from 2024, and on our calculation it is about 1.5 times the 107 billion dollars sent from the United States.
A Second Year of Growth
The report said outward remittances rose for a second year in a row after a decline in 2023, reaching their highest level in 2025. It linked the increase to continued recruitment of expatriate workers as infrastructure, services, industry and other non-oil activities expand. On our calculation, 2024 remittances were about 142 billion dollars.
Remittances were equal to about 6.6 percent of the combined GDP of GCC countries in 2025, up from 6.0 percent in 2024. The report said the ratio reflects the relative weight of remittances against the size of the economies and does not by itself indicate an improvement or a deterioration in economic performance.
Remittances as a share of GCC GDP
| Year | Share of GDP |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 5.6% |
| 2023 | 5.7% |
| 2024 | 6.0% |
| 2025 | 6.6% |
GCC Statistical Center.
Ahead of the United States and Europe
The GCC total compares with about 107 billion dollars from the United States, 43 billion dollars from Switzerland, 27 billion dollars from Germany and 21 billion dollars from France, according to the report. On our calculation, it is about 1.8 times the combined total of Switzerland, Germany and France.
Outward workers’ remittances, 2025
| Sender | Remittances | GCC multiple |
|---|---|---|
| GCC countries | $161bn | 1.0 |
| United States | $107bn | 1.5 |
| Switzerland | $43bn | 3.7 |
| Germany | $27bn | 6.0 |
| France | $21bn | 7.7 |
All values approximate, as published. GCC multiple is our calculation.
Why it matters: Expatriate workers in the Gulf send home earnings that support household incomes, consumption and stability in receiving countries, reflecting the GCC’s economic weight and its role in global financial flows.
Outlook: Continued hiring of expatriate workers as the Gulf’s non-oil activities expand will be the main factor to watch in the 2026 figures.
Sources: GCC Statistical Center, The Edge.
