Remittances, health and education: A cross-country study

So far the positive impact of international remittances on development has only been supported by empirical evidence at the household level. Using unbalanced panel data that includes 206 countries and covers 27 years, this paper finds that there is a significant correlation between international remittances and development indicators such as education and health at the aggregate level as well. More specifically, an increase in the level of remittances inflows, whether measured in nominal or real terms, is correlated with an increase in school enrollment rates, an increase in life expectancy, and a decrease in infant mortality.