$16.7 billion in remittances from workers in Kuwait... 2025
- $800 billion remitted from the Gulf over six years, coinciding with the region’s economic expansion
Remittances sent by workers in Kuwait rose by 18.2 percent in 2025, reaching approximately $16.7 billion, marking the second-highest growth rate in the Gulf after Saudi Arabia, and the third-largest value among GCC countries after the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
According to data from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Statistical Center, remittances from Kuwaiti workers represent a relatively high weight compared to the size of the economy, accounting for 10.6 percent of GDP in 2025, one of the highest ratios in the Gulf. This compares to 10.1 percent in the UAE, 8.7 percent in Oman, 5.5 percent in Qatar, 5.2 percent in Bahrain, and 4.6 percent in Saudi Arabia.
The data indicated that workers in Gulf countries remitted approximately $800 billion abroad over six years, with figures standing at $110 billion in 2020, around $127 billion in 2021, $132 billion in 2022, $128 billion in 2023, and $142 billion in 2024.
Gulf remittances surged by 13.6 percent in 2025, reaching $161 billion, an increase of $19 billion over 2024, making the region the global leader in remittance volume.
Comparing the two ends of the period, remittances from GCC workers rose by approximately $51 billion, from $110 billion in 2020 to $161 billion in 2025, an increase of nearly 46 percent, reaching their highest level during the period.
At the country level within the GCC, the UAE maintained its lead in the Gulf in terms of remittance value, recording approximately $62.1 billion, a 6.3 percent increase, accounting for 38.7 percent of total Gulf remittances.
Saudi Arabia came in second with a value of $58 billion, simultaneously recording the highest growth rate in the Gulf at 26.9 percent. It contributed approximately $12.3 billion to the total increase in remittances during the year, while the UAE and Saudi Arabia together accounted for approximately 74.8 percent of total Gulf remittances.
Qatar recorded approximately $11.9 billion, a 4.7 percent increase, while remittances from Oman reached $9.5 billion, up 2.7 percent. Bahrain recorded approximately $2.5 billion, a decline of 4.3 percent, making it the only Gulf country to experience a decrease in worker remittances in 2025.
At the level of the GCC as a whole, the ratio of worker remittances to GDP rose to 6.6 percent in 2025, compared to 6 percent in 2024, approximately 5.6 percent in 2023, 5.7 percent in 2022, and 6.8 percent in 2021.
The report clarified that the continued rise in remittances coincides with the ongoing attraction of expatriate labor, alongside the expansion of economic activities related to infrastructure projects, services, industry, and non-oil sectors in GCC countries.
