Pakistan is witnessing the biggest brain drain ever. Amidst the worsening economic crisis and political instability in the country, thousands of doctors, engineers and accountants have left the country in just 2 years.
New Delhi. Pakistan is witnessing the biggest brain drain ever. Amidst the worsening economic crisis and political instability in the country, thousands of doctors, engineers and accountants have left the country in just two years. This truth has come to light from a recent government report, which states that in the last 24 months, Pakistan has lost 5,000 doctors, 11,000 engineers and 13,000 accountants. Due to this, the Pakistani people are making fun of not only the government but also Army Chief Asim Munir. In fact, the government and Munir tried to portray this mass migration as positive and called it “brain gain”. However, concrete figures are proving Munir’s big talks false.
Former MP of Pakistan shared the data
Let us tell you that this report was highlighted by former Pakistani senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar. “Fix the politics to fix the economy,” Khokhar tweeted along with the immigration data. Pakistan is also the fourth largest freelancing hub and has suffered a loss of $1.62 billion due to the internet shutdown, putting 2.37 million freelancing jobs at risk.
What does Pakistani migration data show?
Data recently released by Pakistan’s Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment paints a grim picture. In 2024, 7,27,381 Pakistanis registered for employment abroad. By November 2025, 6,87,246 people have registered. What is worrying is that this migration is no longer limited to just laborers working in Gulf countries or “professional beggars” trying to enter abroad.
Which sector is most affected?
The healthcare sector has been most affected by the exodus of talent from Pakistan. Pakistan sees a 2144% increase in migration of nurses between 2011 and 2024. According to a report by Pakistan’s Express Tribune, this trend continued this year as well. Due to the sudden departure of white-collar professionals from the country, the Shehbaz Sharif-led government has tightened control at the airport. In fact, amid concerns about smuggling and begging rackets, 66,154 passengers were deboarded from Pakistani airports in 2025, which was almost double the number of the previous year. Additionally, thousands of Pakistanis were deported from the Gulf countries and other countries for begging and illegal migration.
Pakistanis trolled Asim Munir
The incident of doctors and engineers leaving the country in large numbers has made a mockery of the Pakistan government and Army Chief Asim Munir. Many users pointed to Asim Munir’s comment in August 2025, in which he dismissed talk of “brain drain” and called going abroad a “brain gain”. One user tweeted, “According to the patient, this is brain gain.” Another user posted, “They call it ‘brain gain’. The ignorance of these people is to such an extent that it can cause a serious disaster for the country.