Nearly 40% of Indonesian Migrant Worker Remittances Originate from the Middle East

In 2018, remittances from Indonesian Migrant Workers (IMWs) in the Middle East remained the highest compared to other regions, reaching US$4,362 million (equivalent to Rp61 trillion), a 49.33% increase from the previous year. This figure represents 36% of the total foreign exchange remittances from IMWs working abroad. According to Bank Indonesia's Indonesian Economic and Financial Statistics data, remittances from IMWs in the Middle East reached US$1,083 million in Q1, US$1,112 million in Q2, US$1,116 million in Q3, and US$1,051 million in Q4.

Further increases were seen in the ASEAN region (7.72%) and Asia outside ASEAN (25.48%). Meanwhile, remittances from IMWs in Australia and Oceania decreased by 15.78%, Africa (100%), America (77%), and Europe (23%).

Overall, the value of remittances in 2018 reached US$12,097 million, a 25.22% increase compared to the previous year. However, a downward trend was observed from Q2 to Q4, with Q2 reaching US$2,835 million, decreasing to US$2,749 million in Q3, and further decreasing to US$2,714 million in Q4.