This briefing offers a preliminary data analysis associated with remittance flows and migration trends in Armenia, interpreted from the Central Bank of Armenia’s household survey. The report offers a descriptive and statistical analysis of remittance trends by assessing typical behavior among recipients and senders, and the marketplace for money transfers. The briefing also analyzes the prospects for migration and remittances in the short term and explores some patterns that may exist or shed light on the continuity of flows.

The principal findings of this report indicate that over one-third of households receive remittances, and nearly one-third of senders remit to more than one household The average amount received is US $1,600 a year coming predominantly from Russia and sent to immediate relatives such as children and siblings. The amount received is an important complement to income in a country with a high degree of unemployment. Other findings show that senders migrated mostly due to the lack of jobs in the home country, rather than low salaries. As in other countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus region, transfers are made predominantly through formal licensed money transfer systems.