Over 3.27 Million Pakistanis Went Abroad for Jobs in Five Years

From 2019 to August 2024, the government sent over 3.27 million Pakistanis abroad for employment. This accounts for around 1.3% of Pakistan’s total population. The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD) shared this data with the Senate during a recent session.

The Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment facilitated the process of sending these workers abroad. Various host countries requested Pakistani workers, according to the ministry’s written response. Senator Masroor Ahsan of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) asked about the number of workers sent abroad and the countries they went to.

The data shared by the ministry, however, showed some inconsistencies. For instance, the report mentioned that 50 workers were sent to “Pakistan” in 2019, which raised doubts about the accuracy of the information.

The ministry reported that 3,276,861 Pakistanis traveled abroad through government channels. The regional breakdown revealed that most workers came from Punjab (1.79 million), followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1.02 million), Sindh (255,537), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (124,900), Islamabad Capital Territory (32,046), Balochistan (28,119), and Gilgit-Baltistan (5,436).

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Saudi Arabia received the highest number of Pakistani workers, with over 1.82 million going there. The United Arab Emirates (708,268) and Oman (265,496) also attracted a large number of workers. Additionally, 33,652 Pakistanis moved to the United Kingdom, while 3,820 went to the United States during this period. Despite some discrepancies, the report highlights a significant increase in Pakistanis seeking overseas job opportunities.