India stays the world's top remittance recipient at about $138 billion
The IOM's World Migration Report 2026 confirms India received about $138 billion in remittances in 2024 — the most of any country, and nearly double second-placed Mexico — underscoring the diaspora's economic weight.
India received roughly $138 billion in remittances in 2024, holding its place as the world's largest recipient, according to the IOM's World Migration Report 2026. Mexico followed at about $68 billion and the Philippines at $40 billion, BW Businessworld reported.
India's own figures align: inflows reached $135.4 billion in FY25, supporting the external account, per RBI data carried by Akashvani. The United States is now the single largest source of those inflows — about 27.7 per cent — ahead of the UAE (19.2%), the UK (10.8%) and Singapore (6.6%).
Behind the headline number is a structural change in where the money comes from: advanced economies with skilled, higher-earning Indian workers now outweigh the traditional Gulf corridors. Remittances have become one of the most stable pillars of India's external finances — a quiet, recurring vote of confidence from citizens working abroad.
Sources: BW Businessworld · Akashvani / News on Air · Manorama Yearbook.
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