The total amount of money Indians sent abroad has edged slightly lower. Indians sent out $28.95 billion in FY 2025–2026, down slightly from $29.56 billion in FY 2024–2025, a year-over-year decrease of about 2%.
The dip in remittances is driven mainly by lower spending on international travel and overseas education, even as remittances for deposits, equity/debt investments, and immovable property rose throughout the year.
According to the RBI May bulletin, Indians sent $2.68 billion, $2.3 billion and $2.5 billion in the months of January, February and March 2026, respectively.
Investment Remittances Are Picking Up Fast
The outward remittance towards investing abroad seems to have picked up this year. With $178.86 million in January, $265.99 million in February, and $440.22 million in March — the figure more than doubled from January to March 2026 alone — the monthly pattern is robust. Overall, investment remittances increased 43.7% year on year, from $306.30 million in March 2025 to $440.22 million in March 2026.
Property Purchases Abroad
Property purchases abroad continued to shrink — $38.68 million in March 2026 versus $45.10 million in March 2025, a 14.2% fall year-on-year. Adding to this, the January-February-March 2026 trajectory also shows a consistent sequential decline through the quarter.
What Is the RBI’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS)?
The rules for remitting dollars abroad are set by the Reserve Bank of India’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).
Under the RBI’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), every resident, including minors (countersigned by a guardian), is allowed to remit up to 2.5 lakh US dollars (USD 2,50,000) per fiscal year.
Since the same time last year, the Indian Rupee has declined even further. What this means in practice is that the same USD 2,50,000 limit now translates to significantly more rupees. You could have legally remitted roughly Rs 2,15,00,000, or Rs 2.15 crore, in March 2025 at an exchange rate of Rs 86 to a dollar. You can now send roughly Rs 2,35,00,000, or Rs 2.35 crore — or an additional Rs 20 lakh — at a rate of Rs 94 to a dollar.
And if you have a family, for a family of four, the total that can be remitted abroad can be nearly Rs 10 crore in a year.
Disclaimer: The data cited is sourced from the Reserve Bank of India’s May 2026 Bulletin. This article is for general awareness only and should not be construed as investment or financial advice.