Pakistan Sent 427,435 Workers Abroad in January to September 2026, Saudi Intake Down a Third
BEOE data: 427,435 Pakistanis registered for jobs abroad from January to September 2026. Saudi Arabia took 258,178 but slowed by a third. Country by country.
Pakistan registered 427,435 workers for jobs abroad from January to September 2026, according to the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE). That is about 47,500 a month, a quarter below the 2025 pace of about 63,600 a month. Saudi Arabia still took 6 in every 10 workers, but its monthly intake fell by about a third.
The Bureau's country and province tables now run "till September" 2026. We downloaded both on 9 October 2026 and compared them with the full-year figures for 2025 in the same files. The monthly averages and percentages below are our own arithmetic, and a nine-month figure set against a twelve-month one can hide seasonal swings. Even so, the gap is too wide to be noise.
Overseas employment fell to about 47,500 a month in 2026
BEOE registered 763,526 Pakistanis for overseas jobs in 2025, a monthly average of 63,627. In the first nine months of 2026 it registered 427,435, an average of 47,493. That is 25% lower.
| Year | Workers registered | Monthly average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 832,339 | 69,362 |
| 2023 | 862,625 | 71,885 |
| 2024 | 728,509 | 60,709 |
| 2025 | 763,526 | 63,627 |
| 2026, January to September | 427,435 | 47,493 |
Only 710 of this year's workers went through the government recruiter, the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC). The other 426,725 went through licensed private promoters or direct visas registered with the Bureau.
Saudi Arabia took 258,178 workers but slowed the most
Saudi Arabia remains Pakistan's biggest job market by far. It took 258,178 Pakistani workers in the nine months, or 60% of the total. But its monthly average fell from 44,203 in 2025 to 28,686 in 2026, a drop of 35%.
| Country | 2025, full year | 2026, Jan to Sep | Monthly pace change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 530,437 | 258,178 | Down 35% |
| UAE | 52,664 | 52,032 | Up 32% |
| Qatar | 68,386 | 35,917 | Down 30% |
| Bahrain | 37,726 | 19,873 | Down 30% |
| Kuwait | 6,799 | 3,980 | Down 22% |
| Oman | 9,375 | 705 | Down 90% |
The UAE is the exception in the Gulf. It has already matched its whole 2025 total in nine months. Oman is the other extreme: 705 workers this year, against 81,587 in 2024. Punjab's chief minister asked Oman to lift its visa curbs on 6 October, as covered in Oman's response to Punjab's request, but no Omani order has followed.
BEOE's table records numbers, not reasons. It does not say why Saudi or Qatar hiring slowed, and we found no official explanation.
Europe is small but growing for Pakistani workers
A handful of European countries have already passed their 2025 totals. The numbers are small next to the Gulf, but the direction is clear.
- Greece: 3,768 so far in 2026, up from 3,367 in all of 2025.
- Cyprus: 3,148, up from 2,393.
- Italy: 1,728, more than double 2025's 813.
- Germany: 793, against 984 in 2025.
- United Kingdom: 2,076, down from 4,355 in 2025 and 13,695 in 2024.
Italy works on an annual quota, set out in how to get an Italy work visa from Pakistan. BEOE gives no reason for the UK fall.
Punjab sent more than half of this year's workers
BEOE's province table shows Punjab registered 227,492 workers from January to September 2026, or 53% of the total. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sent 138,346, or 32%.
| Province or region | 2025, full year | 2026, Jan to Sep |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab | 394,447 | 227,492 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 228,046 | 138,346 |
| Sindh | 58,809 | 38,701 |
| Azad Kashmir | 27,449 | 13,075 |
| Federal area | 8,104 | 4,539 |
| Balochistan | 5,443 | 4,140 |
Sindh and Balochistan are holding up better than the rest. On a monthly basis Sindh is down 12% and Balochistan is roughly flat, while Punjab is down 23% and KP down 19%.
What the slowdown means if you are looking for work abroad
Fewer visas means more people chasing each one. Use only lawful routes and check every step before you pay.
- Check the agent's licence first, using the Bureau's list of overseas employment promoters.
- Consider jobs through OEC, the government recruiter.
- For Saudi jobs, book the Takamol skill test only through the official route.
- Never pay an agent more than the legal service charge.
- Get the protector stamp before you fly.
The government's new emigration policy for 2026 sets out its plans for workers abroad. The figures above are the first test of how far it has to go.
Common questions
How many Pakistanis went abroad for work in 2026?
427,435 from January to September 2026, according to the Bureau of Emigration's country table.
Which country hired the most Pakistani workers in 2026?
Saudi Arabia, with 258,178 workers, or 60% of the total. The UAE was second with 52,032.
Is overseas employment down in 2026?
Yes, on a monthly basis. The average fell from 63,627 a month in 2025 to 47,493 in 2026, about 25% lower. That is our calculation from BEOE's figures.
How many Pakistanis went to Oman in 2026?
705 from January to September 2026, against 9,375 in 2025 and 81,587 in 2024.
Where can I see these figures myself?
On the Reports and Statistics page of beoe.gov.pk, which has country, province, district and occupation tables for 2026.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 9 October 2026. We downloaded the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment's country-wise and province-wise statements for 1971 to 2026 "(Till September)" from its Reports and Statistics page. The site blocks automated readers, so we opened it in a browser. Monthly averages, shares and percentage changes are our own arithmetic, comparing nine months of 2026 with twelve months of earlier years. BEOE does not publish a January to September 2025 figure in these tables, so a like-for-like comparison was not possible.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
