Exodus of Pakistanis Termed as Boon for Country’s Economy
By Shahbaz Rana
The Finance Ministry said on Tuesday that over 762,000 Pakistanis left the country in last one year, becoming part of the pool that is helping the nation to economically stay afloat, amid steep reduction in foreign direct investment and exports.
In calendar year 2025, the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment registered 762,499 workers who left Pakistan, according to the monthly outlook report by the Ministry of Finance. There was an increase of over 5% or nearly 37,000 more souls who left the motherland in search of better job opportunities abroad.
The Finance Ministry said that in December 2025 alone the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment registered 76,207 workers who left Pakistan, marking an 18.7% surge on annual basis.
Out of the total, 530,000 people went to Saudi Arabia in search for good future. Unskilled to highly qualified and highly skilled people are leaving Pakistan amid prolonged period of low economic growth and heightened period of political instability.
The money sent by overseas Pakistanis is now the single largest source of non-debt creating foreign inflows that are keeping the country afloat. During the first half of this fiscal year, the Pakistani workers sent $19.7 billion in remittances, up by 11%.
The government is getting around $40 billion annually from these workers without any support to them. Compared to this the entire state machinery is focused on enhancing exports and foreign direct investment but is failing.
The foreign remittances were 23 times more than the $808 million foreign direct investment that Pakistan received during the first half of this fiscal year. It was also $4.2 billion higher than the $15.5 billion worth of exports during this period.
Despite making efforts at multiple fronts, the foreign direct investment decreased nearly 44% during the first half of this fiscal year. The Finance Ministry said that the foreign direct investment dipped from $1.4 billion to mere $808 million during the July-December period of the present fiscal year.
Pakistan's inconsistent economic policies, high taxes and energy prices and unrealistically higher interest rates are keeping the foreign investors away. The authorities are still struggling to resolve inter-provincial issues that are also hampering foreign investment.
The Finance Ministry report stated that the current account is projected to remain in deficit in January but would be backed by higher foreign remittances.
The "robust remittance inflows and steady performance in information technology and services exports are likely to cushion external pressures", said the ministry. Improved fiscal management is also expected to continue supporting the macroeconomic stability, said the ministry… – The Express Tribune
