More than 1.87 million Pakistanis left the country for jobs abroad between 2024 and 2026, according to figures presented to the National Assembly during Question Hour.
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Official documents submitted to the House showed that a total of 1.871 million Pakistanis travelled abroad for work during the three-year period, reflecting the continued movement of Pakistani workers to overseas job markets.
The figures include professionals and educated individuals from several fields, including medicine, engineering, information technology and education.
Thousands of Pakistanis Seek Overseas Employment in 2026
According to the documents, 15,850 Pakistanis departed for foreign countries for employment in 2026, including 681 highly qualified and skilled individuals.
The figures indicate that Pakistani professionals and skilled workers continue to seek opportunities in international job markets.
However, the information provided does not specify the destination countries, occupations of all departing workers or the reasons behind their decisions to seek employment abroad.
Highly Educated Pakistanis Move Abroad for Work
The official figures also highlighted the number of highly educated Pakistanis who secured overseas employment in previous years.
In 2025, a total of 28,726 highly educated Pakistanis obtained employment abroad, including 1,510 individuals classified as highly skilled.
Meanwhile, 45,830 highly educated Pakistanis went abroad for work in 2024, according to the documents presented to the National Assembly.
The figures cover different categories of workers, and the documents provided do not fully explain how the classifications of highly educated, highly qualified and highly skilled individuals overlap.
| S. No. | Profession | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 |
| 1 | Managers | 5,190 | 9,562 | 23,674 |
| 2 | Engineers | 3,605 | 5,945 | 8,015 |
| 3 | Accountants | 1,771 | 4,305 | 4,799 |
| 4 | Doctors | 2,093 | 3,795 | 3,625 |
| 5 | Teachers | 1,457 | 1,725 | 1,729 |
| 6 | Nurses | 626 | 1,639 | 2,030 |
| 7 | Computer Programmers | 664 | 1,147 | 1,351 |
| 8 | System Analysts | 243 | 362 | — |
| 9 | Pharmacists | 156 | 183 | 155 |
| 10 | Dental Surgeons | 45 | 63 | — |
| 11 | Pilots | 11 | 37 | 33 |
| 12 | Highly Skilled Pakistanis | 681 | 1,510 | 1,616 |
| 13 | Financial Analysts | 424 | 923 | 683 |
