Migration trends in Pakistan
Asia
6.9M people from Pakistan have built lives abroad. That's 2.8% of the country population, spread across 89 different countries
251.3M
Population
3.5M
Immigrants
6.9M
Emigrants
−3.4M
Outflow
1 in every 37 people born in Pakistan now lives abroad
The #11 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Top corridors
The largest migration routes in Pakistan
Where people move to
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
6.2M immigrants · 3.1M emigrants
1995
- India overtook Afghanistan as the largest source of new arrivals
- Immigration contracted — the foreign-born population fell 41%
- Immigration from Afghanistan declined sharply — 2.1M fewer migrants from there
- The gap between arrivals and departures was cut in half
2005
- Slipped out of the world's 10 biggest immigrant destinations
- The country became a place of departure — more people leaving than arriving
- Immigration contracted — the foreign-born population fell 24%
2010
- Joined the world's 10 largest diasporas
- Afghanistan overtook India as the largest source of new arrivals
- Saudi Arabia replaced India as the main destination for those leaving
2015
- Surge of departures to Afghanistan — 220.4K people left
- The diaspora abroad passed 5M people
- The outflow deepened — net losses doubled to 2.8M
2020
- Slipped out of the 3 biggest immigrant destinations in Asia
Today
- Slipped out of the world's 10 largest diasporas
- Since 1990: 2.7M fewer foreign-born residents and 3.8M more citizens living abroad