{"id":921,"date":"2026-10-05T11:23:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T15:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/?p=921"},"modified":"2026-10-05T11:23:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T15:23:54","slug":"money-sent-home-by-migrants-increased-by-nearly-50-in-past-decade-according-to-new-un-report-revised-news-piece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/money-sent-home-by-migrants-increased-by-nearly-50-in-past-decade-according-to-new-un-report-revised-news-piece\/","title":{"rendered":"Money sent home by migrants increased by nearly 50% in past decade, according to new UN report (revised news piece)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Money sent home by migrants to low- and middle-income countries has nearly doubled in dollar terms between 2015 and 2025, <\/span>according<\/span><\/a> to a new United Nations report, though the increase is smaller after accounting for inflation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The report, which was released on September 14 by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, found that the transfers, known as remittances, reached a value of $728.6 billion in 2025. This is an increase of about 94% from $375.6 billion in 2016, though an inflation adjustment using the U.S. Consumer Price Index puts the increase at about 45%.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a huge number, but it isn’t surprising,\u201d wrote Samuel Huckstep, a research analyst at the Center for Global Development, in response to a request for comment. \u201cThe numbers have been gradually growing year on year: even during Covid-19 remittance flows were quite robust to the shock.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Families receiving remittances spend that money on a variety of critical needs, from consumer goods to long-term investments,<\/span> noted Gaurav Khanna, an economist at the University of California San Diego. The benefits can even spill over: A study he co-authored, <\/span>published<\/span><\/a> in April, found that increased earning power for migrant workers from the Philippines resulted in long-term gains in income and education for entire communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we’re trying to argue is that if the migrants are sending the money back home, then the gains can actually be spread much more widely than just their families,\u201d said Khanna in an interview.<\/span><\/p>\n

These latest findings also come at a time when some historically migrant-friendly governments are souring on immigration. Immigration judges in the United States, for instance, have ordered the removal of more than 440,000 people seeking asylum in President Donald Trump\u2019s first 19 months back in office, according to an <\/span>analysis<\/span><\/a> by The Washington Post. Germany, another popular destination for migrants, recently <\/span>extended<\/span><\/a> immigration controls at its land borders until March 2027.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn response, we have not seen a major reduction in remittance flows,\u201d said the report\u2019s lead author Pedro de Vasconcelos at a <\/span>press conference<\/span><\/a>, referring to restrictive migration policies. \u201cThere\u2019s always a delay, also, that you need to take into account.\u201d He further noted that the report does not include the most recent data on remittances (the report does not include data from 2026).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite these headwinds against immigration, remittances are likely here to stay, said Patricia Fern\u00e1ndez-Kelly, a sociologist at Princeton who studies global migration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’m pretty sure that remittances will continue to be a very important source of revenue in some of these countries,\u201d she said in an interview.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some researchers also say that governments can have an important role in improving the economic impact of remittances. Huckstep says that in particular, destination countries for migrants can create significant benefits for migrants and their families by reforming migration policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently this isn’t even a factor, but the potential is massive,\u201d wrote Huckstep.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Money sent home by migrants to low- and middle-income countries has nearly doubled in dollar terms between 2015 and 2025, according to a new United Nations report, though the increase is smaller after accounting for inflation.\u00a0 The report, which was released on September 14 by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, found that the transfers,<\/p>\n

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