After significant growth of 18% in 2022, the inflow of remittances to Europe and Central Asia last year decreased by 10%, amounting to about $71 billion, according to an analytical review by the World Bank entitled “Migration and Development”. This reduction is due to a slowdown in remittances from Russia to neighboring countries, especially the Central Asian states. Among the reasons cited are the devaluation of the ruble against the dollar (39% in 2023), a decline in the number of remittances from Russia to Ukraine, and a slowdown in the outflow of migrants to Russia from neighboring states, many of whom have decided to return home after facing a wave of xenophobia following the Crocus City Hall attack. Financial institutions in some countries have also restricted transfers from Russia for fear of sanctions, which could divert remittance flows to unofficial channels.
According to the World Bank, in 2023, remittances from Russia fell significantly to Uzbekistan (from 87% to 78% of all remittances), Georgia (from 47% to 37%), Azerbaijan (from 82% to 63%), and Kyrgyzstan (from 95% to 94%). Remittances from the U.S. to these countries also declined. “In Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, remittances fell by at least 29% in 2023. At the same time, remittances to Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, and Turkey doubled,” the report states.
According to the World Bank’s forecast, remittance flows to Europe and Central Asia will decline by another 2% in 2024, but grow by about 4% to about $72 billion in 2025. The average cost of sending remittances also increased.
