site.btaMoney Remitted Home by Bulgarian Workers in Netherlands Increases 31-Fold in 10 Years

In the second quarter of 2024, Bulgarians working in the Netherlands remitted EUR 123.1 million to their home country. This is a 31-fold increase compared with the second quarter of 2014, when the amount was just EUR 3.8 million, according to data of the Netherlands statistical service CBS.

In 2014, the Netherlands labour market opened to workers from Bulgaria and Romania. It was one of the last EU markets to do so.

A total of EUR 451 million in wages earned in the Netherlands went to Romania and Bulgaria in the second quarter of 2024, compared to EUR 19 million in 2014, the CBS says.

Partly because of the lifting of labour market restrictions for Romanians and Bulgarians 10 years ago, the amounts paid from the Netherlands to Romania and Bulgaria have increased rapidly, compared to other countries. This increase has also been due to an increase in the number of jobs. During that period, the number of jobs held by Romanian and Bulgarian nationals grew to 61,500, up from 6,700 in 2015.

Since 2022, there has been no increase in wages going to Bulgaria. This has coincided with a decrease in the number of jobs held by Bulgarian nationals.