Guatemala: Growth in remittances eases in February
Remittances from workers abroad rose 17.0% year-on-year in February, moderating from January’s 21.3% increase, and totaled USD 808.0 million (February 2019: USD 690.5 million; January 2020: USD 834.6 million). On a 12-month rolling basis, however, growth in remittances rose to 14.6% in February from 14.1% in the prior month.
Remittances are a key source of income for Guatemalan families and tend to follow employment trends in the United States, where the majority of remittances originate from. Going forward, easing economic momentum in the U.S. and policy uncertainty there could lead to softer growth in remittances.