RIZWAN BHATTI
KARACHI: Workers’ remittances recorded a strong growth of 14 percent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year (FY27), reflecting continued inflows from overseas Pakistanis and providing support to the country’s external sector.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Cumulative workers’ remittances rose to USD 10.875 billion during July-September of FY27, compared to USD 9.537 billion in the same period last fiscal year, registering an increase of USD 1.338 billion, or 14 percent.
Saudi Arabia remained the largest source of workers’ remittances, with inflows rising by 16.2 percent to USD 2.687 billion during the first quarter of FY27, compared to USD 2.311 billion in the same period last year.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) followed with remittances of USD 2.236 billion, registering growth of 12.6 percent, while inflows from the United Kingdom (UK) increased by 19.4 percent to USD 1.634 billion. Remittances from the United States also posted growth of 15.5 percent, reaching USD 931 million during the period.
Remittances from European Union countries collectively increased by 17.2 percent to USD 1.405 billion during the first quarter of FY27 compared to the same period last year.
On a monthly basis, inward remittances sustained robust figures above the USD3.587 billion in September 2026. Year-on-Year (YoY) growth in September 2026 was 12.7 percent compared to September 2025, in which USD 3.184 billion were arrived.
Month-on-Month, inflows experienced a minor contraction of 1.9 percent in September 2026, when compared to the preceding month of August 2026, which recorded USD3.657 million.
Despite the slight dip from August to September, the steady stream of monthly inflows highlights continued confidence and resilient financial support from the overseas Pakistani diaspora.
Monthly basis, the major corridors for workers’ remittances during September 2026 were Saudi Arabia amounted to USD 899.1 million, UAE worth USD 748.5 million, UK amounted to USD 515.1 million and USA worth USD 305.9 million.
