Experts have identified Pakistan as one of the largest labor-exporting countries in the region. Overseas migrant workers from Pakistan are a key asset, contributing significantly to the country’s socio-economic development through their remittances. Official statistics indicate that more than 11.43 million Pakistanis have migrated abroad for employment, primarily to over 50 countries. A large majority (96%) of these migrants go to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE hosting the majority of them.

The year 2020 saw a significant drop in the number of emigrants due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment, only 224,705 workers were registered for overseas employment in 2020, a sharp decline from the 625,203 registered in 2019. This decline reflects the global disruption caused by the pandemic.

The key destination countries for Pakistani emigrants continue to be Saudi Arabia (with more than 60% of the emigrants), followed by the UAE (24%) and Oman (4.6%). Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries still remain major employers of Pakistani workers.

In 2020, the highest number of emigrants came from Punjab, with 118,818 workers registered, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 68,299. The decline in emigration during the pandemic was also experienced by other countries like India and Bangladesh, which saw reductions of 273,093 and 482,490 emigrants, respectively.