South Asia Investor Review

Pakistan had a net negative migration of 1.6 million people, the highest of all countries in 2023, according to the  World Population Prospects 2024  report released by the United Nations. Other Asian nations like India (-980,000), China (-570,000), and Bangladesh (-550,000) are also far up the ranking. Pakistan's figure of 1.62 million includes 541,000 Afghans who were expelled from the country last year. Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens. Top Countries Losing People to Emigration. Source: Visual Capitalist Pakistan Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment data shows that  862,625  Pakistanis went to work overseas, mostly to Gulf Arab nations, in 2023. The US government granted 16,320 immigrant visas to Pakistani nationals. Another 11,861 immigrant visas were given to Pakistanis by the Canadian government in the same period....

The extensive news coverage of the loss of Pakistani migrants' lives in the recent Greece boat tragedy has linked it to "hunger" in Pakistan. The essence of these news stories is captured by a quote in a CNN headline: "We'll die of hunger anyway". It is attributed to a young man from the Pakistani town of Gujarat who is unfortunately believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean on his way to Greece.  These stories beg the following questions: Is it really true that Pakistani migrants are fleeing hunger and poverty? How can people suffering from hunger afford to pay thousands of dollars to human smugglers to leave for greener pastures?   Pakistan Per Capita GDP. Source: World Bank Pakistan's  GDP per capita  is about $1,600 The above questions are answered by two recent  studies  released by the Center for Global Development as follows:  As GDP per capita rises, so do emigration rates. Emigration is seen as an investment as migrants are better-edu...

Nearly 600,000 Pakistanis have gone overseas for work in the first 11 months of this year, according to figures recently released by Pakistan  Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment . This phenomenon has helped reduce unemployment in a country where about  2 million young people  are entering the job market each year. It has also helped  remittances soar  nearly 21X since the year 2000. Emigrants From Pakistan 1990-2019. Source: Pakistan Bureau of Emigration Migration Overseas: Over 11 million Pakistanis have left home for employment in Europe, America, Middle East and elsewhere since 1971, according to Pakistan Bureau of Emigration. The pace has particularly picked up over the last 10 years with over half a million Pakistanis migrating abroad each year.  This phenomenon has helped reduce unemployment in a country where about 2 million young people are entering the job market each year. Emigrants From Pakistan 1971-2019. Source: Pakista...