US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, UK: Which country sends the most remittances to India? 2nd on the list will surprise you, top sender is…

The United States remains the largest contributor, while the United Arab Emirates holds the second spot, surpassing expectations.

India continues to be the world’s top remittance recipient, with inflows reaching $118.7 billion in 2023-24 but do you which is the country that sends the most remittance to India? Is it the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait or the United Kingdom? Here’s all you need to know about the list of top countries from where India’s remittances come.

The United States remains the largest contributor, while the United Arab Emirates holds the second spot, surpassing expectations. As per the RBI bulletin released in March , 2025, remittances from the the United States have surged from 23.4% in 2020-21 to 27.7% in 2023-24, taking the total number to US$ 118.7 billion in 2023-24 and thus making it the largest source in India’s total remittances. While United Kingdom’s contribution rose from 6.8% to 10.8%, the United Arab Emirates remains the second-largest source, with its share increasing from 18% to 19.2% in 2023-24.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has clarified in its bulletin that the trends highlights India’s growing role in the global workforce and the increasing financial support from its overseas population.

India tops list of recipient countries for remittances with $129 bn inflow in 2024

In an update from 2024, India topped the list of recipient countries for remittances in 2024 with an estimated inflow of $129 billion, followed by Mexico ($68 billion), China ($48 billion), the Philippines ($40 billion), and Pakistan ($33 billion), according to the latest figures compiled by World Bank economists.

The report also talked about the growth rate of remittances and estimated it to grow by 5.8 per cent this year is, compared to 1.2 per cent registered in 2023, according to a World Bank blog post.

“The recovery of the job markets in the high-income countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been the key driver of remittances. This is especially true for the United States where the employment of foreign-born workers has recovered steadily and is 11 percent higher than the pre-pandemic level seen in February 2020,” the report said.

India vs China: Remittances comparison

“As a ratio to GDP, India’s remittances have hovered around 3 per cent of GDP since 2000, while in the case of China, the ratio has remained below 0.3 per cent. Philippines, on the other hand, has received much higher remittances as a percentage of GDP during the last ten years”, the RBI bulletin said while comparing remittances of India and China.

(With inputs from agencies)