remittances_in_the_context_of_covid_19_africa_120620

Figure 7. Remittance Diversity Index in Africa

Rwanda Ethiopia Uganda Senegal Zambia South Africa Gambia Ghana Mali Nigeria Cameroon Tanzania Guinea Congo, Dem. Rep.

Côte d'Ivoire Sierra Leone Guinea-Bissau Burkina Faso Sudan Niger Malawi Kenya Cabo Verde Angola Mauritius Egypt Morocco Togo

Djibouti Burundi Benin

Algeria Yemen Liberia Mozambique Sao Tome and Principe Tunisia

Lesotho eSwatini Namibia Madagascar Botswana

0,00

0,10

0,20

0,30

0,40

0,50

0,60

0,70

0,80

0,90

1,00

Remittance Diversity Index

Note: The index goes from 0 to 1. Higher values of the index imply a more equal distribution of remittances across migrant designation countries (remittances origins). Source: own elaboration of Bilateral Remittances Matrix 2017, World Bank.

A decline in remittances will not only have an impact at a national level, but will also exacerbate existing economic hardship within receiving countries. For some people, remittances will be a lifeline which enables them to get by when other sources of income are insufficient. For others, remittances may not be so vital, due to the availability of other sources of income. As a result, having remittances decline or be cut-off can have a major impact on individuals and households even within countries which do not receive particularly large remittance inflows at a macro-level.

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