Due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, in the first half of 2020 the inflow of remittances was 5.7 percent lower than in the same period last year, the Central Bank of Montenegro reports.
In 2019, diaspora remittances amounted to about 540 million euros (270 million in six months), so a simple calculation shows that the diaspora sent about 255 million in the first half of the year, or roughly 15 million euros less than last year.
In addition to remittances, which include only transfers from emigrants working in foreign countries, this also includes personal transfers between individuals.
The inflow of remittances had shown a growth trend since 2006, even during the global economic crisis in 2008, until this year, when it first recorded a slight decline.
In neighboring Serbia, remittances fell by about 24 percent in the first five months.