The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has set a target to send 310,000 Sri Lankan workers abroad in 2026.

Kuwait leads demand with 77,500 workers, followed by the UAE (63,500), Qatar (44,000) and Saudi Arabia (31,000), along with 17 other countries.

Under bilateral agreements, planned deployments include Israel (15,000), Japan (12,500) and South Korea (6,000).

In 2025, 311,207 workers went abroad, contributing to over USD 8,000 million in remittances. So far in January 2026, 20,484 workers have departed.