India received remittances worth $87 billion in 2021: World Bank

India, the world’s largest recipient of remittances, received USD 87 billion in 2021 with the United States being the biggest source, accounting for over 20 per cent of these funds, according to the World Bank.

India is followed by China, Mexico, the Philippines, and Egypt, the Washington-based global lender said in its report released.

In India, remittances are projected to grow three per cent in 2022 to USD 89.6 billion, reflecting a drop in overall migrant stock, as a large proportion of returnees from the Arab countries await return, it said.

“Flows to India (the world’s largest recipient of remittances) are expected to reach USD 87 billion, a gain of 4.6 per cent with the severity of COVID-19 caseloads and deaths during the second quarter (well above the global average) playing a prominent role in drawing altruistic flows (including for the purchase of oxygen tanks) to the country,” the World Bank report stated.

Remittances to low- and middle-income countries are projected to  have grown a strong 7.3 per cent to reach USD 589 billion in 2021, the bank said.