Pakistan witnessed a record exodus of doctors in 2025, intensifying fears of a looming healthcare crisis despite the country producing thousands of new medical graduates each year.
Analysts warn that the growing migration of healthcare professionals could place long-term strain on the already overstretched health system.
Nearly 4,000 Doctors Leave Pakistan in One Year
According to a Gallup Pakistan analysis of Bureau of Emigration data, an estimated 3,800 to 4,000 doctors emigrated in 2025, the highest annual figure ever recorded. This marks a dramatic shift from earlier decades when the number of doctors leaving Pakistan remained in the low hundreds each year.
Experts describe the surge as a historic turning point rather than a temporary spike.
Medical Graduate Numbers Mask Ground Reality
Pakistan produces approximately 22,000 new doctors annually and has nearly 370,000 registered medical professionals. However, officials caution that these numbers significantly overstate the country’s effective healthcare capacity.
A large portion of registered doctors are either unemployed, working outside clinical practice, or already residing abroad. As a result, the actual number of practicing doctors available to serve patients is far lower than official figures suggest.
Population Growth Worsens Healthcare Pressure
With a population of around 250 million, Pakistan requires at least 250,000 actively practising doctors to meet the World Health Organisation’s minimum doctor-to-patient ratio. While Pakistan appears to meet this threshold statistically, experts warn that accelerating doctor migration is rapidly eroding real-world availability, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Doctor Brain Drain Signals Structural Shift
Gallup researchers note that doctor migration began accelerating after 2010 and has continued to rise steadily, reaching an all-time high in 2025. The trend is increasingly viewed as a structural change rather than a short-term phenomenon.
Health policy experts warn that Pakistan may be evolving into a system that trains doctors primarily for overseas markets, rather than retaining skilled professionals to meet domestic healthcare needs.
Growing Concerns for Pakistan’s Healthcare Future
The sustained outflow of medical professionals raises serious questions about the future of Pakistan’s healthcare system. Without policy reforms focused on retention, working conditions, and compensation, experts fear the country could face worsening shortages despite continued investment in medical education.
