Sri Lanka recorded a workers’ remittance inflow of $693.3 million in March 2025, the highest in 75 months, reflecting a 21.21% YoY increase and a 26.5% rise from February, according to the Central Bank.
This marks the third-highest monthly remittance inflow in history, following December 2020 ($812.7M) and January 2018 ($729.35M). The surge is attributed to the seasonal rise ahead of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
First-quarter remittances climbed to $1.81 billion, up 18.12% YoY, and slightly above the same period in 2016—the year of the highest annual inflow ($7.24B).
In 2024, remittances hit a four-year high of $6.57 billion, following a major post-crisis recovery, which began in 2023 with a 57% increase from a 12-year low in 2022.
