The World Bank estimated remittance inflows to Arab countries at $61.9bn in 2018, constituting an increase of 9.1% from $56.7bn in 2017, compared to a contraction of 13.4% in 2016 and an increase of 11.5% in 2017. It attributed the rise in remittances to the Arab region mainly to a growth of 17% in remittance flows to Egypt last year. Further, it said that inflows to Arab countries accounted for 9% of global remittance flows and for 11.7% of remittances to developing economies in 2018. The Arab region ranked as the third smallest recipient among developing markets, ahead of only Europe & Central Asia (11.2%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (8.7%). Also, the Bank estimated the increase in remittance inflows to Arab countries in 2018 to be the second smallest among developing economies, after only East Asia & Pacific (+6.7%). In parallel, it indicated that Egypt was the largest Arab recipient of remittances with $28.9bn or 46.7% of the total in 2018, followed by Morocco with $7.38bn (11.9%), Lebanon with $7.2bn (11.6%), Jordan with $4.37bn (7.1%), Yemen with $3.35bn (5.4%), Palestine with $2.56bn (4.1%), Tunisia with $2.03bn (3.3%), Algeria with $1.93bn (3.1%) and Syria with $1.62bn (2.6%); while the remaining seven Arab countries were the recipients of $2.56bn in remittances, or 4.1% of the total. Remittance inflows to Palestine were equivalent to 17.7% of GDP in 2018, the highest in the region, followed by Lebanon at 12.7% of GDP, Yemen at 11.7% of GDP, Egypt at 11.6% of GDP and Jordan at 10.4% of GDP. When excluding Syria, remittance inflows to Arab countries were equivalent to about 2.8% of the region's GDP last year. 
Source: World Bank, Byblos Research