GCC Workers’ Remittances Reach $161 Billion in 2025, Highest Globally

GCC Remittances Reach $161 Billion in 2025, Highest Globally

Muscat: Data from the report “Remittances of Workers in the GCC Countries to Abroad 2025,” issued by the Statistical Center for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, showed that the GCC countries collectively recorded the highest value of workers’ remittances sent abroad globally, totaling approximately US$161 billion in 2025.

The figure represents a 13.6 percent increase compared to 2024, equivalent to an increase of approximately US$19 billion.

The report attributed the rise to the continued attraction of expatriate workers, alongside the expansion of economic activities associated with infrastructure projects, services, industry and non-oil sectors.

Total workers’ remittances from the GCC countries increased for the second consecutive year after declining in 2023, reaching their highest level in 2025.

The ratio of workers’ remittances to the GCC countries’ GDP stood at approximately 6.6 percent in 2025, compared to 6 percent in 2024, 5.7 percent in 2023 and 5.6 percent in 2022.

The report noted that this ratio reflects the relative weight of workers’ remittances compared with the size of GCC economies and does not, by itself, indicate an improvement or decline in economic performance.

The global position of the GCC countries is further highlighted when comparing their total outgoing workers’ remittances with those recorded by major economies individually. Workers’ remittances sent from the United States amounted to about US$107 billion, compared with approximately US$43 billion from Switzerland, US$27 billion from Germany and US$21 billion from France.

Workers’ remittances also contribute to supporting household incomes and consumption in recipient countries, while strengthening economic and social stability. The figures further reflect the GCC’s role in global financial flows and its integration with the international economy.