Migrants in Europe sent home $109 billion, most from Russia to poorer European countries

ROME – A U.N. report has found that migrants in Europe sent home $109.4 billion in remittances last year, most of it going to poorer European countries.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development said Monday that migrant workers in Russia sent home the most in 2014 at $20.6 billion, followed by workers in Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Top receiving countries were Ukraine, Poland and Romania, though workers also sent $7.4 billion to Nigeria, $6.3 billion to China and $6.2 billion to Morocco.

IFAD president Kanayo Nwanze said the sums, a quarter of remittance flows worldwide, could be higher with more competitive money-transfer services: "We need to make sure that this hard-earned money is sent home cheaply, but more importantly that it helps families build a better future for themselves."