Cairo: Expatriates in Saudi Arabia transferred around SR13.2 billion riyals ($3.5 billion) in April, with an increase of 35.6 per cent or SR3.5 billion compared to the same month last year, according to official figures.
The overall remittances of expatriates in the kingdom reached SR50.7 billion in the first four months of the year against SR43.6 billion in the corresponding period of 2020, with a 16.1 per cent rise , the Saudi central bank said.
However, the remittances dropped by 5 per cent last April compared to March during which a total of SR15 billion was transferred, it added in a monthly bulletin.
No breakdown was given of remittances transferred by each nationality of migrant workers in the kingdom.
Last year, the remittances increased by 19.2 per cent reaching SR149.6 billion against SR125.5 billion in 2019.
Foreigners account for around 10.5 million of Saudi Arabia’s total population of 34.8 million.
Indians make up between 2 to 2.5 million in Saudi Arabia; and Pakistanis between 1.2 to 1.5 million.
There are 1 million Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, making them the biggest Filipino community in the Middle East.
