Financial statistics of cross-border payments

Did you know that developing countries receive more support from diaspora than from foreign aid? And that diaspora’s transfers tend to be more stable over time? Remittances can be sent as support to the receivers or for investing in real estate or businesses abroad. International trade of goods and services also leads to significant money transfers.

Estimating financial streams is complex, and official statistics are incomplete. In Norway, Statistics Norway publishes several relevant statistics.

Together with Statistics Norway, Vista Analyse has been contracted to make a feasibility study of delivering improved statistics of financial streams, focusing on payments from Norway to developing countries. We will describe what is included in current statistics and describe how current statistics can be improved and expanded. Remaining inaccuracies and incompleteness will be described.

Contact person at Vista Analyse is Bjørnar Andreas Kvinge.