Gulf Cooperation Council countries sent out the world's highest value of workers' remittances in 2025, totalling about US$161 billion, according to a new report from the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat).
The figure marks growth of 13.6 percent over 2024, an increase of roughly US$19 billion. The report, titled "Outward Workers' Remittances from the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, 2025", said total remittances rose for a second consecutive year after a decline in 2023, reaching their highest level on record.
GCC-Stat linked the rise to the region's continued appeal to expatriate workers and the expansion of economic activity across infrastructure projects, services, industry and non-oil sectors.
Remittances accounted for about 6.6 percent of the bloc's gross domestic product in 2025, up from 6.0 percent in 2024, 5.7 percent in 2023 and 5.6 percent in 2022. The report cautioned that the ratio reflects the weight of remittances relative to the size of GCC economies and does not in itself signal an improvement or deterioration in economic performance.
The scale of the Gulf's outflows stands out when set against major economies. Outward remittances from the United States reached about US$107 billion, followed by Switzerland at US$43 billion, Germany at US$27 billion and France at US$21 billion.
Beyond their financial value, the report noted that these transfers support household incomes, consumption and economic and social stability in recipient countries. They also underline the GCC's regional economic weight and its role in global financial flows.
New sSource: Emirates News Agency
