Cost to send money from the United Kingdom to Afghanistan
Sending GBP 120 from the United Kingdom to Afghanistan cost 10.56% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 3 services surveyed by the World Bank. The lowest cost was 7.54% (MoneyGram) and the highest 16.09%. GBP 120 is the World Bank's standard amount for this corridor, set as the equivalent of US$200. A year earlier, in Q3 2024, the average was 12.38%.
| Average total cost (US$200 equivalent) | 10.56% |
| Average total cost (US$500 equivalent) | 8.08% |
| Average FX margin | 6.42% |
| Money transfer operators | 10.56% across 3 services |
| Surveyed | 8 Aug 2025 to 20 Aug 2025, 2 providers |
Every service surveyed, cheapest first
Total cost is the fee plus the FX margin, as a share of GBP 120.
| Provider | Type | Pay by | Receive as | Speed | Fee | FX margin | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MoneyGram | Money Transfer Operator | Credit card | Cash | Less than one hour | GBP 3.99 | 4.21% | 7.54% |
| MoneyGram | Money Transfer Operator | Debit card | Cash | Less than one hour | GBP 4.99 | 3.89% | 8.05% |
| Western Union | Money Transfer Operator | Cash | Cash | Less than one hour | GBP 5.90 | 11.17% | 16.09% |
How the cost has moved
The average was 9.26% in Q2 2016, the first quarter in this series with data for the corridor, and 10.56% in Q3 2025.
The UN target
The UN Sustainable Development Goals aim to bring the global average cost of sending remittances below 3% by 2030 and to remove corridors costing more than 5%. The World Bank measures the 5% test on the average of the three cheapest qualifying services in each corridor, not on the corridor average. source In this corridor the three cheapest services surveyed averaged 10.56% (a plain average, without the World Bank's qualifying rules).
Related
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from the United Kingdom to Afghanistan?
Sending GBP 120 from the United Kingdom to Afghanistan cost 10.56% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 3 services surveyed by the World Bank. The lowest cost was 7.54% (MoneyGram) and the highest 16.09%. GBP 120 is the World Bank's standard amount for this corridor, set as the equivalent of US$200. A year earlier, in Q3 2024, the average was 12.38%.
Which service cost least from the United Kingdom to Afghanistan?
In the World Bank's Q3 2025 survey the lowest total cost was 7.54% of GBP 120, from MoneyGram. Costs change with exchange rates, so check current prices with each provider.
Where Polynopsis fits
The companies surveyed here move money across borders every day, and many of them prefund payout partners in the receiving country. Polynopsis is liquidity software for those companies: one live position across their banks, payout partners and wallets, with a warning before a corridor runs dry.
Data: World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide (complete dataset, licensed CC BY 4.0). Averages and charts are worked out by Polynopsis from that dataset. Services without a US$200 quote are left out of the averages, so a few corridors differ slightly from the World Bank site. Each corridor uses the local send amount the World Bank set as the equivalent of US$200; where that amount is now worth much less than US$200, fixed fees make the percentage cost higher.
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.
About Polynopsis
Polynopsis is liquidity management software for cross-border payment companies. The name joins poly, many, and synopsis, a seeing together: one live view of money spread across many banks, payout partners, exchanges and stablecoin wallets, including money in flight, with a warning before any corridor runs dry.
Why it is called Polynopsis · About Polynopsis · Glossary · Corridor runway calculator