More than 230,000 Pakistanis migrated to the UAE last year seeking better opportunities, according to authorities from Pakistan.
The UAE ranked as the second top destination for Pakistani migrants, accounting for 26.77 percent of all emigrants from South Asia in 2023, as reported by the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE) and Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC).
Currently, the UAE hosts 1.7 million Pakistani expatriates, making it the second-largest Pakistani community abroad.
Many professionals, including doctors, engineers, and IT specialists, left Pakistan due to a lack of job opportunities, raising concerns about a potential brain drain.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region was the leading destination for Pakistani migrants, with 862,625 Pakistanis moving abroad for work. Saudi Arabia was the top choice, with 426,951 Pakistanis relocating there, as detailed in the Pakistan Economic Survey 2023-24.
Oman employed 60,046 Pakistani workers (7 percent), while Qatar hired 55,112 individuals. Bahrain and Malaysia welcomed 13,345 and 20,905 workers, respectively.
Over 13.53 million Pakistanis have migrated to more than 50 countries through official channels as of April 2024.
Approximately 96 percent of Pakistanis registered for overseas employment chose GCC countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, significantly contributing to Pakistan’s economy through remittances.
The UAE was also the second-largest source of remittances, a crucial foreign exchange earner for Pakistan.
During the July-March 2024 fiscal year, Pakistanis in the UAE remitted $3.7 billion. Saudi Arabia led with $5.1 billion, followed by the UK ($3.2 billion), the US ($2.5 billion), other GCC countries ($2.3 billion), the EU ($2.6 billion), Australia ($0.5 billion), and other countries ($1.3 billion).
The Pakistani rupee has steadily weakened against the Emirati dirham over the past decade, declining from 28 in 2013-14 to 77.44 in 2023-24.
The UAE and Pakistan maintain close governmental relations. Last year, the UAE made a $1 billion deposit to support Pakistan’s balance of payments.
Pakistan’s exports to the UAE reached Rs328.6 billion in the July-March 2023-24 period, up from Rs259.7 billion in the same period the previous fiscal year.
Imports from the UAE grew to Rs2.955 billion in July-March 2023-24, an increase from Rs2.167 billion during the same period last year, making up 26 percent of Pakistan’s total imports.
