Due to the country’s economic situation, millions of Pakistanis leave the country every year, with a large number of them being workers seeking better job opportunities in various countries around the world.
According to data released by the Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment, there has been a surprising decrease in the number of workers leaving Pakistan for employment in other countries in 2024. The number of such workers has dropped to 727,381, which is less than 15% compared to 2023 when the number of workers leaving Pakistan for foreign countries was 862,625.
As in previous years, the highest number of workers went to Saudi Arabia. Out of more than 700,000 workers, 62%, or 452,562 workers, chose Saudi Arabia. Similarly, 81,587 workers went to Oman, 64,130 to the UAE, 81,840 to Qatar, and 19,825 to Bahrain.
Additionally, 13,695 professionals moved to the UK, while 1,077 went to the USA. Around 6,000 people found jobs in Malaysia, 6,500 in Iraq, 1,500 in Romania, and about 1,000 in other countries.
The majority of Pakistanis migrating to different countries are employed in blue-collar jobs. Among these workers, 364,574 are laborers, and 185,209 are drivers, making up more than 75% of the total workforce sent abroad. According to the data, 3,642 doctors and 8,018 engineers left Pakistan in search of better job opportunities in 2024.
It is important to note that these statistics do not include Pakistanis who left the country without registering with the Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment, or those who traveled abroad through agents, independently, or illegally. The actual number of Pakistanis leaving for foreign countries could be significantly higher than the published data.
