Do you know how many people left Pakistan in 2024?
Economic turmoil, inflation and political unrest in Pakistan have led to a mass exodus of educated and skilled citizens, The Asian Mirror reported.
A recent paper by the Bureau of Immigration and Foreign Employment estimates that more than 700,000 Pakistanis migrated abroad by 2024 in search of better prospects abroad, up from 811,000 last year.
Pakistan’s prolonged political turmoil and growing economic crisis has created a bleak outlook for the country’s future.
Also read: Political uncertainty and ongoing economic crisis in Pakistan
The Bureau’s report revealed that Saudi Arabia issued the highest number of visas, followed by the United Arab Emirates, which welcomed workers from a variety of sectors.
Additionally, the demand for professional services is growing in the United States and Europe, said Deputy Director Abdul Shakoor Soomro.
“The political jockeying and unrest have left Pakistan, already reeling from an economic crisis, in a turbulent muddle. But one thing is clear: The military — long respected and feared as the ultimate authority in this nuclear-armed country of 240 million people — is facing a… pic.twitter.com/z5Jn7j87Tu
— Sara Taseer (@sarataseer) February 22, 2024
By 2022, around 765,000 well-educated and skilled youth including doctors, engineers, IT specialists, accountants and doctors left Pakistan in search of better opportunities.
This has led to the country’s high brain drain up a staggering 300 percent, mostly to Saudi Arabia and the UAE .
Also read: UAE family residency visa – minimum income requirements and eligibility criteria
By 2022, Pakistan lost seven thousand engineers, 25,000 doctors, 1,600 nurses, 2,000 computer technicians, 6,500 mathematicians, 2,600 agricultural technicians and 900 teachers due to brain damage.
