RemitSCOPE Asia
RemitSCOPE Asia compiles the most-up-to-date and trusted remittance and remittance-related data across 51 countries in Asia.
RemitSCOPE Asia allows you interact with data to better understand remittances across the continent, gather insights into diaspora, remittances flows, pricing, operating environments, digitization, access and much more.
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Remittances to Asia
What’s happening
Lao People's Democratic Republic is the most expensive country in the region to send money to, with an average cost of 11.8% when sending US$200 in Q1 2025
Remittance prices fell from 6.58 per cent in Q2 2016 to 6.51 per cent in Q1 2025, a drop of 0.07 percentage points. At this rate of progress Asia will fail to meet SDG 10.c which states that remittance prices will not average more than 3 percent by 2030, and no single corridor will be more than 5 percent. The prices for sending to and within Asia vary depending on the region and channel used.
In Q1 2025 it cost 6.7 per cent to send to Central Asia, 6.8 per cent to send to East Asia, 6.9 per cent to send to South-East Asia and 7 per cent to send to West Asia, compared to 5.3 per cent to send to South Asia. Whilst it is significantly over the SDG 10.c target to send to all regions of Asia it is important to understand there are major differences between regions.
Explore the Remittance Pricing Dashboard to learn more about remittance costs into and out of Asia by country and at a corridor level.
India is the largest recipient of remittances in Asia and ranking 10th in Asia in the Importance of Remittances Index
India is a net inbound remittance market, receiving over US$137 billion in 2024. This makes it the largest receiver of remittances in Asia, with the United Arab Emirates, United States and Saudi Arabia the main sending markets. Remittances account for 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Remittances outflows were US$12 billion in 2023.
In 2025, Reserve Bank India published the results of its 6th Remittance Survey for the period 2023 – 2024. Results show that the India diaspora are sending higher-value, less frequent remittances, which are increasingly channelled through digital platforms.
In 2024 remittance inflows into Asia totalled an estimated US$375billion, 30% of Asian countries are dependent on remittances for at least 4 per cent of their GDP.
In 2024, according to the World Bank, over US$375 billion flowed into Asia in remittances, which is approximately 60% the level of overseas development assistance. Remittances provide a lifeline for many families and countries, especially in rural areas where they can make the biggest difference. Within Asia, 15 of the 51 countries are dependent on remittances for at least 4 per cent of their GDP.
Remittance inflows continue to grow (3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in the 3 years to 2024) despite global headwinds. This is not unusual as remittances are often counter-cyclical and increase during difficult events globally or locally. Around 75 per cent of remittances are used for support purposes such as food, housing, education and health, with the remainder available for saving or investment (IFAD, 2022).
Explore the Remittances Dashboard to learn more about remittance inflows and outflows into Asia by country and at a corridor level.
