India received more than USD 137 billion in remittances in 2024, retaining its position as the world’s top recipient and remaining the only country to cross the USD 100 billion mark, the UN migration agency said on Tuesday.
India has led global remittance inflows since 2010, when it received about USD 53.5 billion, with inflows rising steadily over the past decade to USD 68.9 billion in 2015, USD 83.2 billion in 2020 and USD 137.7 billion in 2024, according to the World Migration Report 2026 released by the International Organization for Migration.
“India consistently leads as the top recipient of remittances, followed by Mexico,” the report said. Mexico, the Philippines and France rounded out the top four destinations for remittance flows last year.
The report said South Asia recorded the fastest regional growth in remittances in 2024, estimated at 11.8 per cent, driven by strong inflows to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
High-income economies continued to dominate as sources of remittances. The United States remained the world’s largest sender, with outward flows exceeding USD 100 billion in 2024, followed by Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Germany.
The report also highlighted migration trends beyond money flows. Asia continued to account for the largest share of internationally mobile students, with China the biggest source country and India second, sending more than 6,20,000 students abroad. More than half of the world’s international students were hosted by countries in Europe and North America.
India’s global diaspora has played a key role in expanding the country’s technology sector, the report said, while noting policy efforts to convert “brain drain” into “brain gain” through initiatives such as diaspora conventions and innovation hubs.
On displacement, the report said disasters, rather than conflict, were the main driver of internal displacement in Asia in 2024. The Philippines recorded nearly 9 million disaster-related displacements, the second-highest globally after the United States, largely due to typhoons. India saw more than 5 million internal displacements linked to floods, storms and cyclones, while China reported about 3.9 million, mainly due to Typhoon Yagi.
The report added that Australia remained a major destination for migrants in the region, hosting the world’s largest number of refugees and asylum seekers in 2024, with significant inflows from Asia, including India and China. |
