Outward workers' remittances from the six GCC states reached approximately USD 161 billion in 2025, making the bloc the world's largest source of outbound remittance flows, according to the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat).
The total rose 13.6% year on year, an increase of around USD 19 billion, marking a second consecutive year of growth following a dip in 2023. Remittances equated to roughly 6.6% of combined GCC GDP, up from 6% in 2024, 5.7% in 2023 and 5.6% in 2022.
By comparison, outflows from the United States stood at about USD 107 billion, with Switzerland at USD 43 billion, Germany at USD 27 billion and France at USD 21 billion. The growth reflects sustained demand for expatriate labour across infrastructure, services, industry and non-oil sectors, while the flows remain a critical source of household income for recipient economies across Asia and Africa.
Gulf Economist Staff Writer