International remittance flows and the economic and social consequences of COVID-19

Circular visualization of bilateral remittance estimates 

for 2018 using migrant stocks, host/origin country incomes 

(millions, US$).

Asian Demographic Research Institute Shanghai University, China; Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU), International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria
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First Published May 28, 2020 Research Article
https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X20931111

One of the possible consequences of the tightening of international borders during and after pandemic COVID-19 is what the World Economic Forum refers to as the ‘throttling’ of international (labour) migration. While this will have a profound macroeconomic impact on the global economy, the potential impact on remittances on families, communities and national economies could be equally marked. We present a chord diagram to visualize the latest inter- (and intra-) regional global data on international remittances. This graphic shows the degree of the interconnectedness of the ‘global economy of work’ and the extent to which negative health, economic, social or political changes for migrants in one territory will have profound consequences far across the world.

Keywords Migration, remittances, circular visualization