India: Personal remittances, received (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, India's personal remittances, received (% of GDP) rose 0.15 percentage points on 2024 (from 3.66% to 3.81%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.39 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.11 percentage points in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.81 percentage points in 2004. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.13 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 86% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, India had the 43rd highest value of the 130 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to India in the 2025 ranking

• Cambodia — 40th of 130: 4.29%
• West Bank and Gaza — 41st of 130: 4.04%
• Suriname — 42nd of 130: 3.89%
• Kenya — 44th of 130: 3.76%
• Belize — 45th of 130: 3.72%
• São Tomé and Principe — 46th of 130: 3.66%

What this measures

Personal remittances comprise personal transfers and compensation of employees. Personal transfers consist of all current transfers in cash or in kind made or received by resident households to or from nonresident households. Personal transfers thus include all current transfers between resident and nonresident individuals. Compensation of employees refers to the income of border, seasonal, and other short-term workers who are employed in an economy where they are not resident and of residents employed by nonresident entities. Data are the sum of two items defined in the sixth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual: personal transfers and compensation of employees.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 51 values

Personal remittances, received (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 7.42% (2025)
• Bhutan — 3.28% (2024)
• Maldives — 0.08% (2025)
• Nepal — 32.31% (2025)
• Sri Lanka — 7.63% (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for India

• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$700.07 billion (2025)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$576.45 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$426.05 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 37.21 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$341.19 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 32.99 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 10.77% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$2.24 trillion (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is India's personal remittances, received (% of GDP)?

3.81% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is up 3.37 percentage points from 0.44% in 1975. The highest value was 4.17% in 2008 and the lowest 0.44% in 1975.

How does India rank?

43rd highest of 130 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in personal remittances, received (% of GDP) unusual for India?

In 2025, India's personal remittances, received (% of GDP) rose 0.15 percentage points on 2024 (from 3.66% to 3.81%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.39 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB); IMF balance of payments data, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Bank GDP estimates, World Bank (WB); OECD GDP estimates, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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