Guatemalans residing in the United States They sent their relatives 7% more in remittances than in the same period last year, an official source reported this Monday, July 6.
The indicator now enters a stage in which flows tend to increase due to the seasonal effect of year-end activities. Thus, the first semester closed with income of US$12,219 million, equivalent to about Q93 billion, reported the Bank of Guatemala (Banguat).
According to the update of the exchange balance, income increased US$851 million compared to the same period last year, confirming a growth of 7%.
In the same period of the previous year, the amount amounted to US$11,368 million.
The increase in transfers occurs in a context marked by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, global uncertainty and the rise in international oil prices.
However, tensions have moderated since June 19, when the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding, which has been reflected in a decrease in the price of crude oil.
The monetary authorities project remittances by US$26,806 million, about Q205 billion at the end of 2026with a growth of 5%. For 2027, they estimate revenues of US$27,610 million, equivalent to about Q211,216 million, with a growth of 3%.
In both forecasts, a slowdown is expected compared to 2025, when remittances grew 18.7% and totaled US$25.51 billion. The additional income was US$5,642 million and represented 20.7% of the gross domestic product (GDP), according to official reports.
Remittances consolidate growth
The report indicates that in June alone, remittances reached US$2,325 million, US$106.2 million more than in June of last year, which represents a growth of 4%.
In June of last year, an income of US$2,219 million was recorded.
With the June result, the indicator remains above US$2 billion. March recorded the highest amount, with US$2,441 million, a historical record. In the series, only January and February were below US$2 billion.
Guatemala leads rise in remittances
An analysis by Jesús A. Cervantes González, coordinator of the Latin American and Caribbean Remittances Forum of the Latin American Monetary Center (Cemla), based in Mexico and published this week, points out that Guatemala is one of the six countries in which income from remittances has recorded significant growth over the last decade.
The report highlights that, by the amount of remittances received, the main countries are Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, whose remittances come mainly from the United States.
The document indicates that the annual income from remittances in Latin American countries exceeded US$137 billion.
The Cemla technician explains that remittances from this group of six countries increased from US$49,563 million in 2015 to US$79,843 million in 2020, US$135,167 million in 2025 and US$137,577 million at the end of April 2026 (from May 2025 to April 2026). In that period, annual income from remittances increased US$88,014 million, equivalent to 178%.
Guatemala is one of the six countries in which income from remittances has registered significant growth during the last decade.
For Guatemala, according to the Cemla report, between 2015 and April 2026 income from remittances grew 319%, above the 241% in Honduras, 168% in Colombia, 148% in Mexico, 142% in the Dominican Republic and 139% in El Salvador.
“In the period considered, the increase in remittances was important in the six countries, but it was more dynamic in Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia. During that period, remittances from these three countries increased 319%, 241.5% and 168.7%, respectively,” the analysis points out.
Migratory flow drives remittances
The report indicates that the dynamism of remittances in these three economies responds, largely due to the intense migratory flow to the United States registered between 2015 and 2024.
In that period, the immigrant population of those three countries increased by 1,287,139 people. According to the Cemla document, this contributed to the age structure of migrants remaining favorable for high participation in the US labor market and expanding the number of potential senders of remittances.
Mexico loses momentum in remittances
The author states that, between 2024 and 2026, Mexico has been the country with the least dynamism in remittance income among the six analyzed. At the end of April 2026, it registered an annual income of US$62,968 million, lower than the maximum reached in November 2024, when it totaled US$65,255 million.
He adds that the loss of dynamism of remittances to Mexico is also reflected in the number of transfers received, an indicator of the volume of Mexicans who send them from the United States.
“Figures from the United States labor market show that in 2025 and the first months of 2026, the Mexican immigrant population of working age, its economically active population, the inactive population, the employed and even the unemployed in that migratory group, decreased,” he states.
This suggests, according to the analysis, that there has been a significant return, both voluntary and involuntary, of Mexican migrants, which has led to a decrease in remittance shipments to Mexico.