Data · updated with each World Bank quarterly · free to cite
Cross-border money in numbers
Every figure verified at its primary source · last sweep 4 July 2026
Why this page exists: most "money statistics" pages online are ungated marketing or gated PDFs. This one is neither — every figure links to its primary source (World Bank, UN DESA, company filings), states when we checked it, and sits behind no email form. Cite anything here freely; a link back is appreciated.No affiliate links on this page — it's a reference, not a pitch.
The headline numbers
What moving money actually costs
The World Bank'sRemittance Prices Worldwidemonitor tracks the full cost — fees plus the exchange-rate markup — of sending $200 across 377 corridors, from 48 sending to 111 receiving countries. The Q3 2025 readings:
- The world pays 6.36% on average to move $200 — down only marginally from 6.49% two quarters earlier. On a $200 payment, that's $12.72 gone in fees and rate markup.
- Going digital nearly halves the cost: 4.59% vs 7.30% for cash-based services. Channel choice is the single biggest lever an individual controls.
- Where you send matters as much as how. Sub-Saharan Africa is the most expensive region to send money to (8.78% average, Q1 2025) while South Asia is the cheapest (4.80%, Q1 2025) — and of the 13 corridors costing over 20% in Q3 2025, nine originate in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- The official target is less than half of today's cost. UN SDG 10.c and the G20 cross-border payments roadmap aim for a global average of ≤3% by 2030, with no corridor above 5%. The FSB's own 2025 progress report shows the world is not on pace.
- Best-in-class is already far below the average. Wise reported an average take rate of 0.52% across $243.5bn of cross-border volume in its 2026 fiscal year — evidence that low pricing is a choice, not physics. (We compare providers hands-on in our travel-card comparison.)
For what this gap means for your payments — and how to route around it — start with our hub guide: how to get paid & spend across borders without losing 5%.
How big the flows are — and where they go
Remittances to low- and middle-income countries have grown every year since the pandemic and now exceed foreign direct investment and official development assistance combined:
Where it goes — the five largest recipients in 2024:
By region, and how fast each is growing:
| Region | Inflows 2024 | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| South Asia | $207bn | +11.8% |
| Latin America & Caribbean | $163bn | +5.5% |
| East Asia & Pacific | $136bn | +1.0% |
| Europe & Central Asia | $64bn | +3.0% |
| Middle East & North Africa | $58bn | +5.4% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $56bn | +2.4% |
For some economies these flows aren't a side-channel — they're structural. Remittances equal 45% of GDP in Tajikistan, 38% in Tonga, 27% in Nicaragua and Lebanon, and 26% in Samoa (World Bank, 2024).
And the scale of the specialist providers moving this money:
| Figure | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wise cross-border volume | $243.5bn (+31% YoY) | FY to 31 Mar 2026 | Wise Group plc results |
| Wise active customers | ~19m (+21% YoY) | FY2026 | Wise Group plc results |
| Wise average take rate | 0.52% | FY2026 | Wise Group plc results |
| Money held in Wise accounts | $39bn (+40% YoY) | FY2026 | Wise Group plc results |
The gap between that 0.52% and the 6.36% world average is the market — and it's why choosing the right rail matters so much forfreelancers being paid from abroad.
The people behind the numbers
- 304 million international migrants in 2024 — an all-time high, yet only 3.7% of the world's population. Europe hosts 94.1 million, Asia 92.2 million; 146 million are women. (UN DESA, International Migrant Stock 2024.)
- 18.5 million Americans identify as digital nomads (MBO Partners, 2025) — +153% since 2019, roughly 12% of the US workforce. A further 65 million Americans say they plan or might plan to become nomads within 2–3 years — though MBO's own longitudinal data suggests only 6–8% of aspirers follow through.
- No reliable global nomad count exists. Figures like "35 million nomads worldwide" circulate widely but are extrapolations without a measured base — we don't cite them, and we'd suggest you don't either.
Every one of these people faces the same mechanics: income in one currency, life in another, and a 3–7% leak in between if they use the default rails — the problemthis site exists to solve. If your income arrives in USD, see Payoneer vs Wise for receiving USD; if you freelance from the EU, start withWise vs Revolut vs N26.
Cite these numbers
Everything on this page may be quoted freely with attribution. A ready-made citation:
Source: "Cross-Border Money in Numbers," Bankverse.ch, updated July 2026 — bankverse.ch/cross-border-money-statistics/ (primary sources: World Bank, UN DESA, MBO Partners, company filings).
Journalists: every figure here traces to the primary source linked below, with the access date — you can cite the original directly, and we'd suggest you do. If a number looks out of date, email hello@bankverse.ch and we'll re-verify it within a day.
Update log
- 4 July 2026 — expanded into a permanent data section: added the 2020–2024 flows series, top-5 recipients, regional flows and costs, and remittances-as-GDP figures. Corrected India's 2024 estimate to $129bn (the World Bank blog's own figure; an earlier version said $137bn from a secondary summary).
- 4 July 2026 — page created; every figure verified at its primary source. Next scheduled sweep: August 2026 (or when the World Bank publishes the next RPW quarterly, whichever is first).
Sources (accessed 4 July 2026)
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide (Q3 2025, Issue 54): remittanceprices.worldbank.org — global average 6.36%; digital 4.59%; non-digital 7.30%; 377 corridors; corridor extremes. Regional averages (SSA 8.78%, South Asia 4.80%) from the Q1 2025 issue.
- World Bank / KNOMAD, remittance flows: "In 2024, remittance flows to LMICs are expected to reach $685 billion" — yearly series 2020–2024; top recipients (India $129bn, Mexico $68bn, China $48bn, Philippines $40bn, Pakistan $33bn); regional flows and growth; GDP-share leaders.
- FSB, G20 targets for enhancing cross-border payments: fsb.org — ≤3% average / ≤5% per corridor by 2030.
- UN DESA, International Migrant Stock 2024 — Key Facts and Figures: un.org — 304m migrants; 3.7% of population; regional splits.
- MBO Partners, 2025 Digital Nomads Trends Report: mbopartners.com — 18.5m US digital nomads; +153% since 2019.
- Wise Group plc, Full Year 2026 Financial Results (25 June 2026): owners.wise.com — $243.5bn volume; ~19m active customers; 52bps average take rate; $39bn holdings.