Money sent home by overseas Pakistani workers — one of the largest, steadiest sources of foreign currency for the economy.
Source: SBP EasyData, monthly, workers' remittance inflows (Balance of Payments).
Remittances are funds sent home by Pakistanis working abroad — mainly in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, and the US — to family members in Pakistan.
These inflows arrive through official banking channels and are recorded by the State Bank of Pakistan as part of the current account's secondary income.
Remittances are typically Pakistan's single largest source of foreign currency inflow, often exceeding export earnings in some months, and a key offset to the country's persistent goods trade deficit.
Remittances directly support household consumption for millions of families and are a major, relatively stable source of US Dollar supply that helps fund Pakistan's import bill and ease pressure on the Rupee.
A sustained drop in remittance inflows — from a slowdown in Gulf labor markets, a stronger informal ('hundi/hawala') channel, or exchange rate distortions pushing flows out of official channels — has historically been an early warning sign for external-sector stress.