What Italy’s 15.6% share reveals about the economic role of female labour migration
Key Point
Georgia received USD 348.3 million through instant money transfers in June 2026, up 10.4% year on year. Italy accounted for 15.6%, equivalent to an estimated USD 54.3 million, making it Georgia’s largest European country source. It was not the overall leader: the United States ranked first with 19.0%, while Italy placed second, 0.8 percentage points ahead of Russia’s 14.8%.
| June inflows | Italy’s share | Estimated inflow from Italy | Italy’s share of EU inflows |
|---|---|---|---|
| $348.3m | 15.6% | $54.3m | 37.0% |
The distinction matters. Italy’s position signals a remittance geography increasingly tied to European labour migration. EU countries generated 42.2% of June inflows, and Italy alone represented roughly 37% of that European stream. On average, about USD 1.81 million arrived from Italy per day during the month.
Women’s work behind the money
Official remittance statistics classify money by sending country, not by the sender’s sex. It is therefore impossible to attribute a precise portion of the USD 54.3 million to women. Yet the structure of Georgian migration provides strong evidence that women’s labour is central to the Italy–Georgia financial corridor.
Geostat’s gender analysis of the 2014 census found that 86% of Georgian emigrants residing in Italy were women and 14% were men. The figure is historical and cannot be treated as the exact current ratio, but it captures a well-established migration pattern. The International Organization for Migration reports that many Georgian female emigrants work as babysitters, caregivers and domestic helpers. Italian regional evidence likewise links Georgian migration to demand for domestic and elder-care work.
The remittance flow therefore often originates in care work that is largely invisible in Georgia’s domestic production statistics but paid abroad. Part of that income returns as household consumption, debt service, education and healthcare spending, or modest savings.
Why the Italian flow can be relatively resilient
Italy differs from corridors dominated by episodic capital transfers. Domestic and care services typically create recurring earnings and, consequently, more regular transfers. Population ageing and long-term care demand in Italy provide a structural foundation, although informality, weak worker protection and migrants’ legal status can undermine resilience.
In the assessment of BTU researchers, Italy’s high share is more than a foreign-income story. It shows how female labour migration can become a remote social and financial infrastructure for Georgian households. Remittances may reduce income volatility, while also making a family dependent on the continued absence and employment of one member abroad.
What it means for Georgia
The economic benefit is clear: remittances support purchasing power, supply foreign currency and compensate for limited domestic earnings. Earlier research found that the average remittance received by a Georgian beneficiary household represented 41% of its monthly income. This is a historical average, not a direct measure of the 2026 Italian flow, but it illustrates the weight such money can carry in a family budget.
The model also has hidden costs. A major caregiver is absent, and unpaid care in Georgia may shift to another woman-a grandmother, sister or older daughter. Monetary income can rise while emotional and household losses remain statistically invisible. Migrant care workers may also fail to accumulate adequate pension, health and professional protection for themselves.
The opportunity: from transfers to capital
Georgia’s objective should not simply be to receive more transfers. A better outcome would convert part of recurring foreign earnings into savings, insurance, recognized qualifications and return-oriented business capital. This calls for Georgian-language financial advice in Italy, lower-cost formal transfers, information on pension and social rights, recognition of returning women’s skills, and matched-saving or investment schemes.
The central conclusion is that Italy’s 15.6% share confirms a powerful financial corridor, but one built on human labour and separation. If policymakers and financial institutions treat remittances only as consumption income, the benefit remains short-term. If they connect the flow to women’s security, return and capital formation, labour migration can evolve from a household survival mechanism into a longer-term development resource.
Sources
National Bank of Georgia – Monthly Review, August 2026 – https://nbg.gov.ge/fm/პუბლიკაციები/ანგარიშები/თვის_მიმოხილვა/2026/აგვისტო-2026.pdf?v=1uxow
National Statistics Office of Georgia – Women and Men in Georgia – https://www.geostat.ge/media/21016/W%26M-in-ENG_2017.pdf
International Organization for Migration Georgia – profile of Georgian female migrant work – https://georgia.iom.int/resources/iom-georgia-brief-international-womens-day
PMC Research Center – The Role of Remittances in Georgia’s Economy – https://pmcg-i.com/app/uploads/2023/11/NL-146-migration-geo.pdf