Corridor Comparison

Side-by-side metrics for two remittance corridors · World Bank RPW data

Metric Italy → China Italy → Philippines
Corridor Italy → China Italy → Philippines
Average cost 2.19% 5.00%
Cheapest cost N/A 1.90%
Cheapest provider Western Union
Providers tracked 13
Annual volume $1.8B
Latest quarter 2025Q1 2025Q1

What the Comparison Shows

The Italy → China corridor currently averages 2.19%, while the Italy → Philippines corridor averages 5.00%. That makes the Italy → China corridor roughly 2.8 percentage points cheaper on average. Cheapest-provider floors tell a similar story: the lowest-cost provider delivers China at N/A, against Western Union on the Philippines route at 1.90%.

Comparing corridors is most useful when a sender is choosing between destinations where the recipient has multiple payout options, or when an employer evaluates payroll routes for remote staff. For personal transfers, the practical takeaway is the same on every corridor — shop the cheapest provider, account for both fees and FX margin, and prefer mobile-wallet or bank-deposit payouts where available.

Data source: Source: World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide (RPW) Database, quarterly release. Costs represent percentage of a $200 transfer amount.

Methodology reference: Source: UN Sustainable Development Goal 10.c target — reduce remittance transaction costs to below 3% by 2030.