The national level household survey on remittances, first of its kind in Bangladesh, is being launched today.  This survey was conducted by IOM and Mitra and Associates Ltd. with the support of DFID in 2009. The survey has been considered unique not only because of the size of the sample, but in the extent and scope of data collected on migration households and remittances.

The wide scale survey, which interviewed approximately 10,565 households throughout the country, gathered comprehensive information on the socio economic profiles of migrants, remittance sending as well as utilization behaviour of migrants and receiving households.

An in depth analysis of the survey is being presented at the launch by Dr. Manuel Orozco, a senior associate and director of remittances and development at the Inter-American Dialogue from the US, with vast international experience on remittance related research. The Chief Guest of the programme is the Governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr. Atiur Rahman and Chaired by the IOM Regional Representative Ms. Rabab Fatima.

The survey showed that the migrants are mostly male (98.3 percent) and the average age of a migrant is 32 years. Among the migrants, 60 percent were married during the time of the survey. Most migrants had little education. Just over 90% of migrants say they send remittances back to their families. More than 70% of the migrants in the survey used formal payment methods, such as money transfer operators and banking institutions. Only about 20% of migrants, according to the survey, own bank accounts. Furthermore, over 50% of remittance recipient households have bank accounts.

Only 40 percent of female migrants sent more than Taka 50,000 compared to nearly 60 percent of male migrants. Data showed that remittances have led to improvements in the consumption of food and educational opportunities among the majority of migrant households. Majority of households receiving remittances own less than two assets. Paying back loans is among their primary obligation, rather than accumulating other assets. The overall findings identify a migrant population whose income is higher than per capita income, but whose limited assets can make them vulnerable to external shocks, particularly in light of the global economic crisis, which can lead to a decline in overseas employment for Bangladeshis. 

 ‘In order to promote pro-poor economic growth, improve access to remittance transfer services and to help reduce the cost of remitting money, the survey will hopefully make important contribution in policy guidance’, said Ms. Rabab Fatima, IOM Regional Representative on the occasion of the launching.

For more information please contact Asif Munier or Farhana Chowdhury at IOM Dhaka. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; Tel. +880.2.988.9765