ISLAMABAD - Pakistan received a record US$41.6 billion in workers’ remittances during FY2025–26, the State Bank of Pakistan said on July 9.
The total for the fiscal year ending in June was 8.6 percent higher than the US$38.3 billion received in FY2024–25. June inflows reached US$3.5 billion, rising 2 percent from June 2025 but falling 18.3 percent from May, according to the central bank’s July 9 release.
Saudi Arabia remained the largest source in June, contributing US$829.6 million. The United Arab Emirates sent US$792.2 million, followed by the United Kingdom with US$514.9 million and the United States with US$296.8 million. Together, those four corridors supplied more than US$2.4 billion during the month.
“Home remittances are important for Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability, serving as the primary source of foreign exchange,” the central bank said in a May 29 assessment.
The report estimated that workers’ remittances equal roughly 8 to 9 percent of Pakistan’s gross domestic product and help finance its balance-of-payments needs.
The latest result follows two years of rapid growth in formal inflows. Remittances rose from US$30.3 billion in FY2023–24 to US$38.3 billion in FY2024–25, when they increased by 27 percent. The FY2025–26 total stands US$11.3 billion above the amount received two fiscal years earlier.
Pakistan’s Gulf labour corridors remain central to the flow, as Saudi Arabia and the UAE together accounted for more than US$1.6 billion in June remittances.
The Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment said 316,848 Pakistanis proceeded abroad for employment during the first six months of 2026. More than 10 million Pakistanis have been registered for overseas employment through the bureau since 1971.
The State Bank’s assessment identified high transfer costs, documentation gaps, limited access to bank accounts and employer-controlled wage systems as barriers for lower-income migrant workers.
It also said that digital remittance services average about 5 percent in charges globally, compared with about 7 percent for non-digital transfers.
