Long-standing transnational relationships between Serbian households and their migrant relatives living in Switzerland have facilitated a large and ongoing flow of remittances and other forms of material support over the last several decades. 

Recognizing the important impact that these remittance flows can have on poverty alleviation and economic development in Serbia at the household, regional and national level, the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs of the Government of Switzerland (SECO) commissioned an investigation of this migration and remittances corridor. This work was carried out by IOM and two other institutional partners – the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Swiss Forum for Migration (SFM). IOM’s contribution focused on measuring the flows, transfer patterns, use and impact of remittances from Switzerland on migrant-sending households in Serbia. 343 household surveys were conducted in two rural, migrant-sending regions of Serbia with links to Switzerland, complemented by focus groups, key informant interviews and secondary literature. 

The results of IOM’s research investigation is the focus of this report. Concrete recommendations on how to improve remittance services to migrants and promote their economic development impact in Serbia are also included.