Over 762,000 Pakistanis Went Abroad for Employment Last Year, Including Thousands of Skilled Professionals

**Islamabad (Daily Qudrat):** The number of Pakistanis seeking employment abroad continues to rise, with 762,499 citizens leaving the country for overseas jobs last year, including around 18,000 highly educated and professionally trained individuals such as doctors, engineers, managers, nurses, and computer analysts.

According to details released by the Bureau of Immigration, 762,499 Pakistanis went abroad for employment during the past year, marking an increase of about 35,000 compared to 2024. Overall, Pakistanis migrated for work to more than 54 countries worldwide.

Saudi Arabia remained the top destination, issuing the highest number of work visas. More than 530,000 Pakistanis went to Saudi Arabia for employment, with the kingdom issuing around 78,000 more visas compared to the previous year.

The United Arab Emirates granted work visas to 52,664 Pakistanis, while 68,376 went to Qatar. More than 37,000 Pakistanis moved to Bahrain, 9,375 to Oman, and 6,590 to Kuwait for employment. Other destinations included Malaysia (3,609), China (2,230), Iraq (over 6,000), the United Kingdom (4,355), Türkiye (5,288), and the United States (around 1,000).

**Professional Breakdown**

Out of the total 762,499 Pakistanis who went abroad, 18,352 were highly educated, while 13,657 were highly skilled professionals. The data also shows that 222,171 were skilled workers, whereas 466,000 were categorized as unskilled laborers.

Among the highly educated professionals were 3,795 doctors, 5,946 engineers, 5,659 accountants, around 11,000 managers, 1,600 nurses, and 1,500 computer analysts. In addition, 1,725 teachers, over 14,000 supervisors, and more than 6,000 operators also secured overseas employment.

The workforce included about 465,000 laborers and 163,000 drivers.

**Provincial Distribution**

Provincial data shows that the highest number of overseas job seekers came from Punjab (393,000), followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (227,000). From Sindh, 58,733 Pakistanis went abroad, while around 5,000 were from Balochistan. Approximately 27,500 individuals migrated from Azad Kashmir, 39,500 from former tribal areas, 8,000 from the federal capital, and 1,600 from Gilgit-Baltistan.

It is noteworthy that more than 862,000 Pakistanis went abroad for work in 2023. The number dropped by about 15 percent in 2024, with just over 700,000 leaving the country. However, in 2025, overseas employment saw an increase of around 35,000 individuals, reflecting a renewed upward trend.