1.5 Crore Pakistanis Have Left the Country to Work Abroad

Saudi Arabia remained by far the largest destination for Pakistani workers, hiring 530,256 Pakistanis in 2025, nearly 70 percent of all overseas employment from the country during the year, according to official data from Pakistan’s Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE).

Pakistan sent 762,499 workers abroad in 2025, while the cumulative number of registered overseas workers reached 15.13 million between 1971 and mid-2026.

Over the past five decades, Saudi Arabia alone has employed 7.87 million Pakistanis, accounting for more than 52 percent of all registered overseas workers from Pakistan.

UAE ranks second with 4.48 million, followed by Oman (1.08 million), Qatar (488,787), Bahrain (297,775), and Kuwait (199,275).

After a sharp slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, overseas employment has recovered strongly, with Pakistan sending more than 700,000 workers annually since 2023.

Pakistan’s overseas workforce is dominated by skilled and semi-skilled labor.

In 2024, the largest occupational groups included 364,574 laborers, 185,209 drivers, 14,938 masons, 10,895 electricians, 8,018 engineers, and 3,642 doctors.

The Gulf continues to drive Pakistan’s overseas employment and foreign exchange earnings. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the country received a record $38.3 billion in workers’ remittances during FY2024-25, up from $30.25 billion a year earlier.

Saudi Arabia was the largest source of remittances, contributing $9.34 billion, followed by the UAE with $7.83 billion. Together, the two countries accounted for more than $17 billion, nearly half of Pakistan’s total remittance inflows.

While Pakistanis have migrated to more than 50 countries since 1971, the Gulf remains the dominant destination, with non-Gulf countries accounting for less than 5 percent of total overseas employment.

Malaysia, Iraq, Libya, the UK, Italy, Cyprus, and South Korea are among the largest non-Gulf destinations.