Kenya Listed Among Top WorldRemit Markets

Kenya has been listed among the top three African markets for WorldRemit, a global payment giant based in London.

The company on Friday released data showing the amount of money users sent globally this year as of June 1, to mark International Day of Family Remittances.

Kenya tied at second with Zimbabwe with Ksh 24.2 billion of the remittances sent. The two countries ranked after Nigeria which had a share of Ksh38.4 billion.

Other top African markets are Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon, Tanzania, South Africa, Somaliland and Rwanda.

WorldRemit provides international transfer services across 130 countries in over 70 currencies. The firm enables Kenyans to receive through bank transfer, mobile money and as cash pick ups.

Money sent back home by migrants living abroad have been on the rise in Kenya in recent years. Data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) showed that remittances reached Ksh421.98 billion in 2021, a 20.2% increase from 2020.

Customer surveys by WorldRemit showed that most of the money remitted goes into education, medical expenses and household needs.