Remittance outflow is the value of remittances leaving a country during a period, mostly money sent home by migrant workers and other foreign-born residents. It appears as a debit in the sending country's balance of payments and is the counterpart of the remittance inflow recorded by receiving countries.
The largest outflows come from economies with many foreign workers, including the United States, the Gulf states and parts of Western Europe. Outflows depend on the size of the migrant population, wages and employment in the host economy, and exchange rates. Host governments watch them for two reasons. Large outflows are a drain on foreign currency in countries that manage their exchange rate, and some governments have proposed or introduced taxes on outbound transfers. The channels used are also a focus of financial crime supervision, which is why outbound money transfer normally requires a license and customer identification. Taxes and tight controls can push senders toward unrecorded informal channels.