MigrantoPakistani Diaspora
6.9M Pakistanis live abroad — 3% of the population of Pakistan
Pakistani diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 53% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 1937044 |
| UAE | 932356 |
| India | 768138 |
| United Kingdom | 703309 |
| USA | 452748 |
| Kuwait | 362255 |
| Oman | 280339 |
| Canada | 266682 |
| Qatar | 247227 |
| Italy | 158436 |
| Australia | 127340 |
| Spain | 126260 |
| Bahrain | 93973 |
| Malaysia | 79288 |
| Afghanistan | 69788 |
| France | 36278 |
| Sweden | 31536 |
| Turkey | 26088 |
| Japan | 25754 |
| Norway | 23507 |
| Netherlands | 18061 |
| South Africa | 17393 |
| Ireland | 16059 |
| Belgium | 15808 |
| Denmark | 14908 |
| Iran | 12822 |
| Greece | 9373 |
| China | 8464 |
| Hong Kong | 8150 |
| New Zealand | 6954 |
| Austria | 6739 |
| Finland | 3689 |
| Myanmar | 3207 |
| Libya | 2775 |
| Portugal | 2494 |
| Fiji | 1903 |
| Mozambique | 1472 |
| Cyprus | 1458 |
| Hungary | 1244 |
| Nepal | 1170 |
| Sri Lanka | 1095 |
| Brunei | 957 |
| Malta | 954 |
| Brazil | 922 |
| Chile | 845 |
| Iraq | 698 |
| Tanzania | 646 |
| Kazakhstan | 563 |
| Mexico | 546 |
| Lesotho | 522 |
| Botswana | 490 |
| Bulgaria | 399 |
| Maldives | 353 |
| Luxembourg | 322 |
| East Timor | 298 |
| Estonia | 266 |
| Indonesia | 244 |
| Latvia | 210 |
| Mauritius | 189 |
| Egypt | 186 |
| Namibia | 184 |
| North Korea | 175 |
| Ecuador | 159 |
| Panama | 151 |
| Iceland | 142 |
| Slovakia | 133 |
| Cayman Islands | 132 |
| Tajikistan | 103 |
| Georgia | 88 |
| Dominican Republic | 87 |
| Ghana | 85 |
| Sierra Leone | 80 |
| Slovenia | 48 |
| Cambodia | 44 |
| Belarus | 44 |
| Bermuda | 30 |
| Guatemala | 29 |
| Bolivia | 28 |
| Seychelles | 23 |
| Mongolia | 22 |
| Bhutan | 22 |
| Guinea | 16 |
| Costa Rica | 13 |
| Venezuela | 11 |
| Lithuania | 7 |
| Liechtenstein | 7 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 0 |
| Bahamas | 0 |
| Saint Lucia | 0 |
By region
56% of the diaspora lives in the Middle East
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Key facts
The Pakistani diaspora in numbers
The community in Sweden is growing fastest
The number of Pakistanis living in Sweden has grown 179% since 2015, from 11.3K to 31.5K.
The share of the diaspora living in Asia has declined since 1990
59.5% of the diaspora lived in Asia in 1990, compared with 14.2% today.
The diaspora is spread more widely than in 1990
The largest country's share fell from 58% to 28%.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
6 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Qatar, Spain, Malaysia. Qatar climbed from outside the top 20 to #9.
Most Pakistanis abroad live in Saudi Arabia
28% of the diaspora lives in Saudi Arabia, while the next country accounts for just 13%.
Pakistani diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 3131865 |
| 1995 | 3116501 |
| 2000 | 3272459 |
| 2005 | 3715061 |
| 2010 | 4684523 |
| 2015 | 6190815 |
| 2020 | 6372467 |
| 2024 | 6915057 |
Largest communities over time
Pakistanis living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | Saudi Arabia | UAE | India | United Kingdom | USA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 488673 | 158191 | 1826106 | 227526 | 89974 |
| 1995 | 585250 | 222210 | 1553996 | 267139 | 102374 |
| 2000 | 614620 | 296606 | 1331798 | 312751 | 219562 |
| 2005 | 790642 | 376533 | 1120825 | 387949 | 262433 |
| 2010 | 1195820 | 622486 | 940336 | 486938 | 309705 |
| 2015 | 1824586 | 783994 | 873404 | 562645 | 390102 |
| 2020 | 1818172 | 821140 | 814599 | 642044 | 412484 |
| 2024 | 1937044 | 932356 | 768138 | 703309 | 452748 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of Pakistanis in each country has changed since the selected year
Pakistanis among immigrants in other countries
Where Pakistanis make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Pakistanis live outside Pakistan?
Around 6.9M Pakistanis live abroad, the world's #11 largest diaspora.
Where do most Pakistanis abroad live?
Most Pakistanis live in Saudi Arabia, UAE and India — these three countries account for about 53% of all Pakistanis living abroad.
Which country has the largest Pakistani population outside Pakistan?
Saudi Arabia is home to the largest Pakistani community abroad — 1.9M people, about 28% of all Pakistanis living abroad.
What share of the population of Pakistan lives abroad?
About 3% of the population of Pakistan lives abroad — that's 6.9M out of a total population of 251.3M.
Is the Pakistani diaspora growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of Pakistanis living abroad has grown from 6.2M to 6.9M, about 12%.
Where does the data on the Pakistani diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in Pakistan who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
Where to live?
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Living in Pakistan
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