Sri Lanka received USD 693.3 million in workers’ remittances in March 2025, marking the second-highest monthly inflow on record, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).
The cumulative remittances for the first quarter of 2025 (January to March) stood at USD 1,814.4 million—an 18.1% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The highest-ever monthly remittance inflow remains USD 812.7 million, recorded in December 2020. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number of Sri Lankans, particularly from Italy and South Korea, returned home after losing their jobs. The CBSL noted that many of them remitted large sums in terminal benefits, contributing to the historic peak.
In January 2021, the country received USD 675.3 million in remittances, following the December 2020 high.
For the entirety of 2024, Sri Lanka recorded USD 6,575.4 million in workers’ remittances.
