REMITTANCES TO

ETHIOPIA
October 27, 2010
 Methodology
2

Sample size 2,412 interviews with Ethiopian adults

Dates of July 14 – September 4, 2010
interviews
Margin of 2 percentage points
error
Language of Amharic
interviews
 Regions
3

The survey
was
conducted in
regions that
represent 97
percent of
the
Ethiopian
population.
DEMOGRAPHICS AND
CHARACTERISTICS OF
REMITTANCE RECIPIENTS
 Age
5

34%
35%
30%30% 30%
30%
26%
25%
Census
20% 18%
Remittance
15% 13%13% recipients

10%
5%
5%
1%
0%
18-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 65+
 Gender
6

Census Remittance Recipients

50% 55%
Male Male
Female Female

50% 45%
 Urban / Rural
7

Census Remittance Recipients

16% 35%
Urban Urban
Rural Rural
65%
84%
 Monthly Household Income
Remittance Recipients
8

47%
50%

40%

30% 23%
20% 12%
9% 7%
10% 2%
0%
T B T B T B T B or
e
wer
0
E E E E m ns
00 00 00 00 o r a
1 - 3 5
- 5 0
10
0
T B No
han 0 0 0 0 - E
s t
10 35 000 00
0
L es 5 10
 Overall, how do you see your family’s personal economic situation in
Ethiopia?
Remittance Recipients
9

Excellent 3%

Good 78%

Mediocre 15%

Poor 4%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

 What is your relationship to the person who sends you
money?
10

Father or mother 6%

Brother or sister 47%

Husband or wife 5%

Son or daughter 10%

Uncle, aunt, cousin, niece, nephew, or other 32%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

 Do you own a mobile phone?
Remittance Recipients
11

6%

Yes
No

94%
THE STATISTICS OF
REMITTANCES
 Do you have any family members or relatives living in
another country outside Ethiopia?
13

39%

Yes
No

61%
 Have any of your family members or relatives living in
another country outside Ethiopia ever sent you money?
14

14%
Yes, frequently
4%
Yes, infrequently

No
21%
61% No family
members outside
Ethiopia

14% of Ethiopian adults are

regular remittance recipients
 In what country does your relative live?
Remittance Recipients
15

North America 40% Europe 22% Other Africa 5%

United States 35% England 7% Djibouti 2%
Canada 5% Germany 5% South Africa 1%
Italy 3% Sudan 1%
Asia / Middle East 30% Norway 2% Kenya 1%
UAE 23% Sweden 2%
Israel 3% Netherlands 1%
Lebanon 2% France 1%
Yemen 1% Switzerland 1%
Saudi Arabia 1% Denmark <1%
Qatar <1% Greece <1%
Spain <1%
Australia 3%
 How frequently does your family member or
relative send you money?
16

24 times a year 2%

12 times a year 15%

4-6 times a year 36%

2-3 times a year 47%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

AVERAGE: 5 TIMES A YEAR

 How much money – on average – does your family
member or relative send to you each time?
17

Less than $100 32%

$101 to $200 38%

$201 to $300 15%

$301 to $400 8%

$401 to $500 4%

More than $500 3%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

AVERAGE: US$120
 Remittances to Ethiopia
18

Adult population (est.) 38,500,000

Percent receiving international remittances 14%
regularly

Adult population receiving international 5,400,000

remittances regularly

Frequency of remittances 5 times a year

Average remittance received US$120

Total amount per year US$3.2 billion

THE REMITTANCE
PROCESS
 How do you receive this money?
20

70% 64%

60%
50%
40%
30% 21%
20% 14%

10% 1%
0%
Bank Remittance Traveler Credit card / ATM
company card
 How satisfied are you with the services of your bank or
remittance company?
21

Very satisfied 64%

Somewhat satisfied 32%

Somewhat dissatisfied 4%

Very dissatisfied 0%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

 Overall, how do you have a positive or negative opinion of the
banks in Ethiopia?
22

2% 3%

Positive

Negative

Don't know /
No opinion

95%
RELATIONSHIP WITH
REMITTANCE SENDERS
 Did you make arrangements with this family member – that he or
she would send you money – before he or she left Ethiopia?
24

1% 13%

Yes

No

No
answer

86%
 Which of the following best describes the main reason
your relative who sends you money left Ethiopia?
25

 To find a better job 85%

 To go to school 10%
 For some other reason 3%
 No answer 2%
 How often do you communicate with this family
member or relative – the one that sends you money?
26

Every day 1%

Once a week 46%

Once a month 41%

A few times a year 12%

Once a year 0%

Very rarely / Almost never 0%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

 For how many years has this family member or relative
been sending you money?
27

Less than 1 year 2%

1 to 3 years 56%

4 to 5 years 16%

More than 5 years 26%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

IMPACT OF
INTERNATIONAL
REMITTANCES
 Overall, how many people benefit from the money you
receive from your family member or relative?
29

 1 20%
 2 21%
 3 24%
 4 16%
 5 11%
 6 3%
 7 3%
 8 or more 2%
 Approximately what portion of the money you receive do you spend on
daily expenses such as food, clothes, housing, utilities and medicine?
30

All of it 34%

About three-quarters of it 18%

About half of it 18%

A quarter or less of it 15%

None of it 14%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

 Other than daily expenses, what do you use this money for?
31

University education 29%

Small business 9%

Savings account 4%

Housing 1%

Daily expenses only 57%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

 Interest in Financial Products
“Very interested” answers only
32

Savings account 79%

Business loans 71%

University education loans 69%

Home mortgage 60%

Health or life insurance 56%

INTERNAL
REMITTANCES
 Have any of your family members or relatives living in
another part of Ethiopia ever sent you money?
34

22%

Yes
No

78%
 How much money – on average – does your family
member or relative send to you each time?
35

Less than $50 60%

$51 to $100 22%

More than $100 18%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

 How do you receive this money?
36

80% 74%

70%
60%
50%
40%
30% 20%
20%
10% 4% 2%
0%
Bank Remittance Traveler Another way
company