turkISh emIgrAtION ANd ItS I mplICAtIONS 121
Ye a r Remittances Exports Imports Remittances as %
trade deficitRemittances
as % GNP
1978 983 2,288 4,599 42.5 1.4
1979 1,694 2, 261 5,069 60.3 2.2
198 0 2,071 2,910 7, 9 0 9 41.4 3.0
1981 2,490 4,703 8,933 58.9 3.4
1982 2,14 0 5,74 6 8,843 69.1 3.2
1983 1, 513 5,728 9,235 43.1 2.4
198 4 1, 807 7,13 4 10,757 49.9 3.0
1985 1,714 8,255 11, 3 4 4 55.5 2.5
198 6 1,634 7, 4 5 7 11,10 5 44.8 2 .1
1987 1,021 10,19 0 14,158 25.7 1. 2
198 8 1,776 11, 6 6 2 14,335 66.4 2.0
1989 3,040 12,960 15,792 10 7. 3 2.8
19 9 0 3,243 13, 626 22,302 37. 4 2.2
19 91 2, 819 13, 672 21,038 38.3 1.9
19 92 3,008 14, 891 22,872 37. 7 1.9
19 93 2,919 15, 610 29,428 21.1 1.6
19 9 4 2,627 18, 390 23,270 53.8 2.0
19 95 3,327 21,975 35,709 24.2 2.0
19 9 6 3,542 32,446 43,627 31.7 1.9
19 97 4,197 32,647 48,599 26.3 2.2
19 98 5,356 31, 220 45,922 3.4 2.6
1999 4,529 29,325 40,671 39.9 2.5
2000 4,560 31, 375 54,503 1.7 2.3
2001 2,786 35,000 41, 39 9 43.5 1.9
2002 1,936 35,753 51, 554 12. 3 1.1
2003 1,710 47, 0 6 8 69,340 7. 7 0.7
2004 804 63,121 9 7, 5 4 0 2.3 0.2
2005 851 73,476 116 , 7 74 2.0 0.2
2006 1,111 85,535 139, 576 2 .1 0.2
2007 1, 209 10 7, 2 7 2 170 , 0 63 1.9 0.2
2008 1,431 132, 027 201,963 2.0 0.2
2009 934 102 ,128 14 0, 899 2.4 0.2
2010 829 113 , 8 8 9 185,4 87 1.1 0.1Source: Compiled by İçduygu (2006) based on various official sources in turkey and updated by
the author in 2012
When discussing the impact of remittances, we also need to consider the
different types of investment made by the migrants at various levels: the
individual/household level, the local/community/regional level, and the
national level. It appears that money coming from abroad often f inds its way
into the maintenance of the family left behind or is spent as an investment
in equipment, building, car or, possibly, as part of migrants’ attempts to set