MANILA, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- The number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in 2024 was estimated at 2.19 million, up 1.5 percent from 2.16 million in the previous year, according to data released Tuesday by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Total remittances sent by OFWs reached 262 billion pesos, or about 4.46 billion U.S. dollars, in 2024.
Overseas contract workers (OCWs), or Filipinos with existing employment contracts abroad, accounted for 97.9 percent of the total OFW population.
The remaining 2.1 percent were Filipinos working full-time without work visas or permits, or under non-immigrant visas such as tourist, visitor, student, or medical visas.
Women continued to make up the majority of OFWs. Of those who worked abroad in 2024, about 1.25 million, or 57.2 percent, were female, up from 1.20 million, or 55.6 percent, in 2023.
By age group, Filipinos aged 45 years and older accounted for the largest share of OFWs in 2024 at 25.8 percent, followed by those aged 30 to 34 years at 21.3 percent and those aged 35 to 39 years at 19.2 percent.
About four in every 10 OFWs, or 43.6 percent, were employed in elementary occupations in 2024. Plant and machine operators and assemblers made up the second-largest group at 15.4 percent, followed by service and sales workers at 12.7 percent.
Asia remained the primary destination for OFWs in 2024, accounting for 74.5 percent of total departures. This was followed by Europe at 10.6 percent, North and South America at 9.2 percent, Australia at 4.4 percent, and Africa at 1.3 percent. ■
