Tuvalu: Personal remittances, paid (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Tuvalu's personal remittances, paid (current US$) rose 23.6% on 2022 (from US$1.8 million to US$2.22 million).

Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2022), the average change was +12.3% and a typical year strayed about 32.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 78.6% in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 48.3% in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$123,528 a year. A straight line explains 59% 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 2023, Tuvalu had the 12th highest value of the 12 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 Tuvalu in the 2023 ranking

• Sint Maarten (Dutch part) — 9th of 12: US$104.28 million
• Palau — 10th of 12: US$17.56 million
• Comoros — 11th of 12: US$5.8 million

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. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Limitations: Remittance transactions have grown in importance over the past decade. In a number of developing economies, receipts of remittances have become an important and stable source of funds that exceeds receipts from exports of goods and services or from financial inflows on foreign direct investment. But the quality of statistical remittance data is not high. Remittances are a challenge to measure because of their nature. They are heterogeneous with numerous small transactions conducted by individuals through a wide variety of channels: formal channels, such as electronic wire, or through informal channels, such as cash or goods carried across borders.

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

All 23 values

Personal remittances, paid (current US$) in nearby economies

• Australia — US$15.96 billion (2025)
• Cambodia — US$345.64 million (2025)
• China — US$14.04 billion (2025)
• Fiji — US$13.13 million (2024)
• French Polynesia — US$22.66 million (2016)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — US$1.15 billion (2025)
• Indonesia — US$11.68 billion (2025)
• Japan — US$7.17 billion (2025)
• Kiribati — US$1.08 million (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — US$14.31 billion (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for Tuvalu

• GDP (current US$) — US$57.35 million (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 89 million (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$42.97 million (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 62 million (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$6,041 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 9,376 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$4,527 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 6,532 (2025)
• GNI (current US$) — US$93.35 million (2025)
• GNI (current LCU) — 144.89 million (2025)
• GNI per capita (current LCU) — 15,264 (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Tuvalu's personal remittances, paid (current US$)?

US$2.22 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is up 498.79% from US$371,358 in 2001 (8.48% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$2.66 million in 2012 and the lowest US$302,222 in 2003.

How does Tuvalu rank?

12th highest of 12 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in personal remittances, paid (current US$) unusual for Tuvalu?

In 2023, Tuvalu's personal remittances, paid (current US$) rose 23.6% on 2022 (from US$1.8 million to US$2.22 million). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2022), the average change was +12.3% and a typical year strayed about 32.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 BM.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: IMF balance of payments data, International Monetary Fund (IMF); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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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