Remittances from South Africa: World Bank data
Personal remittances paid out of South Africa were US$1.13 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank, 52nd of the 135 economies with 2025 data. South Africa received US$1.00 billion in personal remittances in 2025, equal to 0.24% of GDP and up 17.5% on 2024, according to the World Bank. That ranks it 78th of the 132 economies with 2025 data.
| Received (2025) | US$1.00 billion source |
| Share of GDP (2025) | 0.24% source |
| Change since 2020 | +23.9% (from US$811 million) |
| Highest year on record | 2011 (US$1.16 billion) |
| Paid out (2025) | US$1.13 billion source |
| Region and income group | Sub-Saharan Africa , upper middle income |
Remittances received by year
What it costs to send
Sending the US$200 equivalent to South Africa cost 5.42% to 6.39% on average across the 2 corridors the World Bank surveyed in Q3 2025: every corridor to South Africa.
Sending from South Africa cost 10.29% to 31.48% across 13 corridors: every corridor from South Africa.
Related
Where Polynopsis fits
Remittances are paid out by banks, payout partners and mobile wallets that money transfer companies keep funded ahead of demand. Polynopsis is liquidity software for those companies: one live position across every bank, payout partner and wallet, with a warning before a corridor runs dry.
Data: World Bank, World Development Indicators (BX.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT, BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS, BM.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT), last updated 2026-10-08, licensed CC BY 4.0. Ranks are worked out by Polynopsis from the same data.
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