RemittancesGateway.org

Workers’ remittances decrease in EU

Wednesday, 15 December 2010 11:25

Within the EU, the amount of money sent by migrants to their country of origin fell by 7 per cent in 2009 when compared to the previous year, Eurostat figures show.

Workers’ remittances fell from €32.6 billion in 2008 to €30.3 billion a year later. They had been increasing year on year, but the trend is believed to have been interrupted by the economic crisis.

The vast majority of remittances – €22 billion – were sent outside the EU, while the remaining €8.3 billion were intra-EU flows. 

Spain accounted for the largest proportion of remittances – €7.1 billion – followed by Italy at €6.8 billion, Germany at 3 billion, France at €2.8 billion and the Netherlands at €1.5 billion. 

The figure excludes remittances from the UK, for which data was not available. Maltese data, meanwhile, is treated as confidential.