The month of May has more remittances to Mexico because of Mother’s Day, survey says

Mexicans love their mamá, and this survey proves it.

May is typically the month with the highest volume of remittances each year, thanks to the so-called "Mother's Day effect," according to the Bank of Mexico. 

A recent survey of 58 users of a transfer platform to Mexico from WhatsApp indicated that 67% of respondents send a special transfer to their mother on May 10, when Mother’s Day is celebrated in Mexico. 

On Mother's Day 2024, users of Zapp, the transfer platform, sent an average of $360 USD to their moms.

This behavior is not an isolated case. According to BBVA Research's Migration and Remittances Observatory, over the last five years, the "Mother's Day effect" has driven an average increase of 6.5% in remittance sending during May.

In 2024 alone, this represented nearly $364 million in additional remittances. In fact, May historically represents the month with the highest volume of remittances of the year, due to the economic boost that May 10 represents.

In 2024, Mexico received a total of $64.745 billion in remittances, a new record and a 2.3% increase over the previous year, according to data from the Bank of Mexico. This historic volume included 13.9 million transactions. Although growth has moderated, the link between remittances and family celebrations remains strong, especially on key dates like Mother's Day.

The Zapp survey reveals that 79% send money directly to their mother, while the rest do so through other relatives such as sisters (30%), children (30%) or even deliver it personally (10%).

The main reason? 31% say they do it for their mom to use however she wants, while others spend it on medicine (19%), food (13%) or simply to buy herself something nice (15%).

In addition to money, 40% of respondents say they send a physical gift from Mexico, while 10% do so from the United States. Only 4% say they send something additional only occasionally.