Increasing brain drain of nurses threatening Pakistan’s healthcare
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New Delhi, Sep 4 : An increasing number of nurses in Pakistan are leaving the country in search of better salaries, safer working environments, and professional opportunities abroad. However, this will cause a severe impact on an already fragile health infrastructure in the country, according to a report.
The report by British daily Asian Lite stated that Pakistan, with a population of over 240 million, “requires an estimated 700,000 nurses to meet current healthcare demand, yet as of 2020, only 116,659 were registered in the country”.
“This shortfall is staggering by any standard, but in the context of a growing population, it is nothing short of catastrophic,” the report said.
The report cited data from the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, according to which nurses make 5.8 per cent of Pakistan’s highly educated workforce that emigrated in 2024.
While about 15 per cent of nurses from developing countries migrate annually to wealthier nations, Pakistan’s surge far outpaces this trend -- the exodus of Pakistani nurses grew at a compound annual growth rate of 54.2 per cent between 2019 and 2024.
“In 2024 alone, a record 727,381 professionals left Pakistan in search of better prospects overseas. The exodus shows no sign of abating -- by mid-2025, over 336,442 had already departed, with a sizeable portion belonging to the medical and nursing sector,” the report said.
The World Health Organisation recommends at least three nurses for every doctor. However, in Pakistan, the ratio stands at just 0.5 nurses per doctor -- one of the lowest in South Asia.
The lack of nurses is overburdening doctors, leaving patients more vulnerable, and hospitals more chaotic, the report said, revealing that the country faces a shortage of more than one million nurses.
“Compounding this, nearly 30,000 to 40,000 registered doctors are not practising at all, either due to lack of opportunities, emigration, or disillusionment with the system,” it noted.
The report by British daily Asian Lite stated that Pakistan, with a population of over 240 million, “requires an estimated 700,000 nurses to meet current healthcare demand, yet as of 2020, only 116,659 were registered in the country”.
“This shortfall is staggering by any standard, but in the context of a growing population, it is nothing short of catastrophic,” the report said.
The report cited data from the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, according to which nurses make 5.8 per cent of Pakistan’s highly educated workforce that emigrated in 2024.
While about 15 per cent of nurses from developing countries migrate annually to wealthier nations, Pakistan’s surge far outpaces this trend -- the exodus of Pakistani nurses grew at a compound annual growth rate of 54.2 per cent between 2019 and 2024.
“In 2024 alone, a record 727,381 professionals left Pakistan in search of better prospects overseas. The exodus shows no sign of abating -- by mid-2025, over 336,442 had already departed, with a sizeable portion belonging to the medical and nursing sector,” the report said.
The World Health Organisation recommends at least three nurses for every doctor. However, in Pakistan, the ratio stands at just 0.5 nurses per doctor -- one of the lowest in South Asia.
The lack of nurses is overburdening doctors, leaving patients more vulnerable, and hospitals more chaotic, the report said, revealing that the country faces a shortage of more than one million nurses.
“Compounding this, nearly 30,000 to 40,000 registered doctors are not practising at all, either due to lack of opportunities, emigration, or disillusionment with the system,” it noted.
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