ISLAMABAD: The number of Pakistanis seeking employment abroad continues to rise. Last year, 762,499 Pakistanis went overseas for work, including 18,000 highly educated and trained professionals such as doctors, engineers, managers, nurses, and computer analysts.
The Bureau of Immigration revealed that the number of Pakistanis leaving for jobs abroad in 2024 increased by 35,000 compared to the previous year.
Saudi Arabia issued the most work visas, granting 530,000 to Pakistanis, which is 78,000 more than the previous year. The UAE issued 52,664 visas, while Qatar issued 68,376, and Bahrain saw over 37,000 Pakistanis leaving for jobs. Smaller numbers went to Oman, Kuwait, Malaysia, China, Iraq, the UK, Turkey, and the US.
Out of the 762,499 Pakistanis, 18,352 were highly educated, and 13,657 were highly trained. Among them were 3,795 doctors, 5,946 engineers, 5,659 accountants, 11,000 managers, 1,600 nurses, and 1,500 computer analysts. Additionally, 1,725 teachers, 14,000 supervisors, and over 6,000 operators left for work abroad.
A significant portion of the emigrants were manual workers, with 465,000 laborers and 163,000 drivers among the numbers.
Provincial Breakdown:
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Punjab: 393,000
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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 227,000
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Sindh: 58,733
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Balochistan: 5,000
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Azad Kashmir: 27,500
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Tribal Districts: 39,500
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Islamabad: 8,000
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GB: 1,600
In comparison, 862,000 Pakistanis went abroad for work in 2023. However, the number dropped by 15% in 2024, with just over 700,000 leaving, though the figure increased by 35,000 in 2025.
