Skilled professionals leaving Pakistan in record numbers in search of stability, dignity and opportunity

 Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir’s statement of describing Pakistanis living abroad as a source of “brain gain” instead of “brain drain” was intended to demonstrate confidence, resilience and strategic foresight. However, fresh emigration data showcases a sobering picture of a nation that is losing its most valuable resource – skilled human capital. 

In his remarks at the inaugural Overseas Pakistanis’ Convention in April 2025, Munir described emigration as an asset – informal ambassadors strengthening Pakistan’s reputation abroad. However, a different reality is unfolding in Pakistan. Framing emigration as ‘brain gain’ may offer rhetorical cover, however, it does little to address the consequences of losing skilled citizens, according to a report in Maldives Insight.

Doctors, accountants, engineers, nurses and IT professionals are leaving Pakistan in record numbers in search of stability, dignity and opportunity not present in the country. The increasing gap between official statements and measurable outcomes raises questions regarding governance, accountability and the cost of denial.

A report in Maldives Insight stated, “According to figures released by the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, nearly 5,000 doctors, 11,000 engineers and more than 13,000 accountants officially left Pakistan between 2024 and 2025. These are not abstract statistics. They represent hospital wards stretched thinner, infrastructure projects starved of expertise, and financial systems operating without experienced professionals.”

“Nowhere is the impact more alarming than in healthcare, where nurse emigration surged by an extraordinary 2,144 per cent between 2011 and 2024 — a figure that signals systemic strain rather than mobility-driven success. The scale and persistence of this outflow have forced even domestic observers to confront its implications,” it added.

According to the report, Pakistan’s leading daily The Express Tribune termed 2025 a defining year, labelling the nation a “Brain Drain Economy” — one that increasingly depends on exporting its skilled workforce rather than retaining it to rebuild its own institutions. The framing suggests that emigration is a structural feature of Pakistan’s economic model.

“While remittances from overseas Pakistanis remain a crucial lifeline for the economy, equating financial inflows with institutional strength ignores the long-term damage caused by hollowed-out sectors at home. Hospitals cannot be run on remittances alone, nor can research labs, engineering firms, or regulatory bodies function effectively without experienced professionals on the ground,” the report in Maldives Insight stated.

Social media users have raised questions on how the departure of doctors, engineers and accountants can be considered a strategic advantage. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sajid Sikandar Ali termed the departure of skilled people as inevitable in the absence of industrial growth, research funding and viable employment opportunities.

“Framing emigration as ‘brain gain’ may offer temporary rhetorical cover, but it does little to address the long-term consequences of losing skilled citizens at scale. Nations that successfully leverage their diaspora typically do so from a position of domestic strength, not institutional fragility,” the report highlighted.

“The danger lies not only in the exodus itself, but in the insistence on misnaming it. When a problem is rebranded rather than confronted, policy stagnates, and accountability dissolves. Pakistan’s talent outflow is not an abstract economic trend; it is a cumulative verdict delivered by its professionals through their choices,” it added.