Muscat, October 04 (QNA) – Data from the report “Outward Workers’ Remittances from the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, 2025,” issued by the Statistical Center for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat), showed that the GCC countries collectively recorded the world’s highest total of outward workers’ remittances, reaching approximately $161 billion in 2025, up 13.6% year on year, or about $19 billion.

The increase reflects the continued attraction of expatriate workers, alongside the expansion of economic activity driven by infrastructure projects and growth in the services, industrial and non-oil sectors.

The report noted that workers’ remittances from the GCC countries rose for the second consecutive year after declining in 2023, reaching their highest level in 2025.

Workers’ remittances accounted for approximately 6.6% of the GCC countries’ combined gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025, compared with 6.0% in 2024, 5.7% in 2023 and 5.6% in 2022. The ratio indicates the relative weight of workers’ remittances compared with the size of GCC economies and does not, in itself, indicate an improvement or deterioration in economic performance.

The GCC countries’ global standing is underscored by a comparison of their combined outward remittances with those of major economies individually. Outward workers’ remittances from the United States amounted to approximately $107 billion, compared with about %43 billion from Switzerland, $27 billion from Germany and $21 billion from France, according to the report.

Beyond their direct financial value, these remittances support household incomes and consumption and contribute to economic and social stability in recipient countries. They also underscore the GCC’s regional economic weight, its role in global financial flows and its deep integration with the global economy. (QNA)