Pakistani diaspora

Overseas Pakistanis (Urdu: بیرون ملک پاکستانی نژاد), or the Pakistani diaspora, refer to Pakistanis who live outside of Pakistan. These include citizens who have migrated to another country as well as people born abroad of Pakistani descent. They form a part of the broader South Asian diaspora, commonly referred to as the Desi diaspora. According to a December 2017 estimate by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, approximately 8.8 million Pakistanis live abroad. Data released in 2023 by the Ministry of Emigration and Overseas Employment states that more than 10.80 million Pakistanis have moved abroad since 1990. The vast majority, over 4.7 million, reside in the Middle East. The second-largest community, around 1.6 million, lives in the United Kingdom, followed by the United States (especially in New York City, Chicago, and New Jersey) in third place. Other European countries such as Italy, Germany, Spain and Norway also host large Pakistani communities, as do Canada and Australia. According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Pakistan has the 6th largest diaspora in the world. In 2021, overseas Pakistanis sent record remittances with growth at 26 percent and levels reaching US$33 billion.