Total remittance inflows for December last year rose 6.7 percent to US$321.6 million compared to US$301 million generated in 2020 as total inflows for 2021 ended at $3.5 billion an increase of 20.4 percent or $600 million more than the $2.9 billion in 2020 bank of Jamaica report shows.
Total inflows are up by $1.09 billion over the inflows of $2.4 billion in 2020. The growth in the last two years has been the best since going back to 2007. The rate of increase in the last seven months of 2021 grew at an average of 9.5 percent over the same period in 2020 an indication that growth in 2022 is unlikely to be the average of 20.4 percent for 2021 or the 20.8 percent in 2020 over 2019. If the rate falls to say seven percent which is slightly above the increase in last year’s December total inflows would be in the order of $3.75 billion or $250 million more than for 2021.
Jamaica’s remittances hit US$3.5B in 2021
Remittances jump 17% in September
Total remittance inflows in Jamaica jumped 17.2 per cent or US$44.8 million in September 2021 over the $260 million inflows for September 2020 and lifting the gross inflows for the year to date to US$2.6 billion, just US$300 million less than US$2.9 billion inflows for the 2020 calendar year.
The increase for the month is highly positive, in light of a strong 34.5 percent jump in September 2020 over the 2019 inflows for that month.
The total inflows for last year could be equalled or exceeded with the October numbers and could put the inflows for the year at US$3.6 billion by the end of the year. The numbers for September continues the robust monthly increase since last year May, except for a small decline of 2.4 percent in August this year. For the January to August 2021 period, remittance inflows to Jamaica grew by 25.4 percent to US2.3 billion, up from US$1.836 billion in 2020. Prior to August, inflows grew by 30.4 percent, with June and July being up 10 percent, well below 42 percent increase to May.
The data was obtained from the Bank of jamaica.
Remittances slip in August
Remittance inflows into Jamaica slipped by 2.4 per cent or US$7 million to US$273 million from US$280 in August last year that benefited from a robust increase in 2020 and brings the year to date to US$2.3 billion or 25.4 percent over US$1.84 billion accounted for in the similar period in 2020.
Last year August saw a hefty 31 percent surge from US$214 million earned in 2019. At the rate of growth to date, remittance inflows should hit US$2.3 billion this year.
The decline for August is the first monthly decline on a year over year basis since April last year, with a fall of 20 percent. Remittances that surged 42 percent and 37 percent in June and July in 2020 over 2019 is up 10 percent this year in each month.
The largest source market of remittance flows to Jamaica for August 2021 was the USA accounting for 70 percent, of total inflows up from 66.3 percent recorded for August 2020, the bank of Jamaica report states. The central bank also indicates that Canada contributed 11.8 per cent, followed by UK and the Cayman Islands at 10 per cent and 4.9 percent, respectively.
Remittances slow from torrid pace
Jamaica’s remittances inflows slowed from the torrid pace experienced between May, last year to May this year, with an increase in June and July of 10 percent each over the record levels of 2020 with increases of 42 percent and 37 percent respectively in 2020 over 2019 and bringing the year to date growth to 30.4 percent, down from 42 percent to May this year.
According to a release from Jamaica’s Central Bank, June enjoyed inflows of US$303 million versus US$275 million last year and July US$324 million, up from US$293 million in 2020. For the year to July, the country has garnered US$2 billion up from US$1.56 billion for the same period in 2020. Remittances appear on track to hit US$3.5 billion by the end of the year if the recent trend continues which would be US$600 million than last year and US$1.1 billion over 2019.
