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Migrant Transfers (Remittances) to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia

Migration

In the long run, Yugoslav emigrants and guest workers have maintained the tradition of sending a portion of their savings back to their homeland.
This practice has been started in the 19th century, and continues to this day, with remittance flows reaching unprecedented levels in the present.
When funds are transferred through official channels, such as banks or postal services, the transactions can be tracked using official statistical records. By analyzing various official data sources, we have compiled comprehensive insights into the scale and trends of these remittances from 1925 onwards.

Data and Resources

#remittances
#Yugoslavia
#moneytransfer
#migration
#Bosnia-Herzegovina
#Croatia
#Kosovo
#Montenegro
#NorthMacedonia
#Serbia
#Slovenia
Bibliographic Information
Title: 
Migrant Transfers (Remittances) to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia
Creator: 

Creator

Sara Žerić Đulović
https://d-nb.info/gnd/136318346X
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3608-5918
Contributor: 

Contributor

Ulf Brunnbauer
http://d-nb.info/gnd/120688824
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0443-6461
Publisher: 
Institutional or individual Publisher: 
Institution
Institutional Publisher name: 
Leibniz-Institut für Ost- und Südosteuropaforschung
Publishers GND Identifier: 
https://d-nb.info/gnd/1131732642
Publication Date: 
20.03.2025
Division: 
Economics Department
DOI: 
10.15457/1401/TraFFF
Dataset Information
Type: 
Dataset
Subtype: 
Official Statistics
Main language: 
English
Languages used: 
English
Version: 
1.0.0
Spatial / Geographical Coverage Area: 
POLYGON ((13.4839 46.8784, 22.9688 46.8784, 22.9688 40.8811, 13.4839 40.8811, 13.4839 46.8784))
Spatial / Geographical Coverage: 
Southeast Europe
Spatial / Geographical Coverage Controlled (ISO 3166): 
Croatia
Montenegro
Kosovo
Serbia
Slovenia
North Macedonia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Region: 
Southeast Europe (also Yugoslavia)
Temporal Coverage: 
January 1, 1925 to December 31, 2023
Era: 
20th century
21st century
Subject Area: 
Economic History
Share medadata w/ OstData: 
Yes
Subject Classification
JEL Classification: 
F22 - International Migration
F24 - Remittances
J61 - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
Methodological Information
Data Collection Method: 
Other
Data License Information and Access Rights
License: 
Public Domain CC0 1.0 Universal
Access Rights (Availability): 
open access
Provenance Information
Provenance: 

Sources and literature used for data for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1925-1938):
V. Horvat: "Migracije Hrvata", Liječnički vjesnik , 62, no. 11, November 1940, p. 570.
Croatian State Archive (HDA), f. 967 (SORIS), kut. 36, fasc. 311, "Iseljeničke doznake u našoj platežnoj bilanci", 1934.
Brunnbauer, Ulf (2016): Globalizing Southeastern Europe. Emigrants, America and the State. Lanham, MD.: Lexington.

Note: Remittances are presented in the Yugoslav dinars of the respective time period.

Sources and literature used for data for the Yugoslavia (1954-1988):
1954-1961: Arhiv Jugoslavije, f. 142, fasc. F-492, p. 15; quoted in Brunnbauer 2016: 289.
1962-1971: Bilten Narodne Banke Jugoslavije; Mikulić 1988: 26.
1972-1976: Statistički bilten Službe knjigovodstva, nr. 12, 1976, p. 78; Mikulić 1988: 26.
1977-1980: Migracije, May 1983, no. 5, p. 167; Mikulić 1988: 26.
1981-1986: Bilten Narodne Banke Jugoslavije; Mikulić 1988: 26.
1987-1989: Bilten Narodne Banke Jugoslavije

Literature:
Brunnbauer, Ulf (2016): Globalizing Southeastern Europe. Emigrants, America and the State. Lanham, MD.: Lexington.
Čičin-Šain, A. (1983): "Promjena uloge deviznih doznaka i devizne štednje gradjana u jugoslavenskoj platnoj bilanci u razdoblju 1966–1980", Migracije, 12(5), 165–173.
Mikulić, Branislav (1988): "Uticaj migrantskih doznaka na platni bilans i inflaciju u Jugoslaviji", Jugoslovensko bankarstvo, 2, February, 25–32.
Vodopivec, Milan (1983): "Značenje doznaka radnika u inostranstvu za platni bilans Jugoslavije", Migracije, 12(10), 177–186.

Note: Remittances are presented in current millions of U.S. dollars.

Sources used for data for the Bosnia and Herzegovina (1998-2023):
World Bank Data

Note: Remittances are presented in current billions of U.S. dollars

Sources used for data for the Croatia (1993-2023):
World Bank Data

Note: Remittances are presented in current billions of U.S. dollars

Sources used for data for the Kosovo (2000-2023):
World Bank Data, Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo

Note: Data from World Bank Data is from 2004 - 2023, and remittances are presented in current millions of U.S. dollars; data from Central Bank of Republic of Kosovo is from 2000-2023, remittances are presented in current millions of Euro.

Sources used for data for the North Macedonia (1996-2023):
World Bank Data

Note: Remittances are presented in current millions of U.S. dollars

Sources used for data for the Montenegro (2007-2023):
World Bank Data

Note: Remittances are presented in current millions of U.S. dollars

Sources used for data for the Serbia (2000-2023):
World Bank Data, Migration and Remittances Factbook 2008, 195. (2000-2006)
World Bank Data (2007-2023)

Note: Until 2007 - Serbia and Montenegro; Remittances are presented in current billions of U.S. dollars

Sources used for data for the Slovenia (1992-2023):
World Bank Data

Note: Remittances are presented in current millions of U.S. dollars

Data Source Type: 
Research data
Project Context
Project: 
Transnational Families, Farms and Firms: Migrant Entrepreneurs in Kosovo and Serbia Since the 1960s
Dataset Info
FieldValue
Modified
2025-06-24
Release Date
2025-03-20
Contact Name
Ulf Brunnbauer
Contact Email
brunnbauer@ios-regensburg.de
Public