The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) reports that 212,302 Sri Lankans left for overseas jobs between January and August 2025.

Male workers accounted for the majority, with 130,252 leaving, while 82,050 were women.

Kuwait topped the list of destinations with 53,159 workers, followed by the UAE (41,180) and Qatar (30,263). 

East Asia is also drawing interest, with 8,015 Sri Lankans moving to Japan and 4,324 to South Korea.

Remittances from migrant workers reached USD 5.11 billion in the first eight months, up 19.3% from last year’s USD 4.28 billion.

In August alone, remittances stood at USD 680.8 million.

The SLBFE expects total remittances to hit USD 7 billion by year-end.