Human capital flight aka brain drain is a serious phenomenon that has hounded the country for years, especially since the beginning of the 21st century.
A recent survey has revealed that a huge population would leave their country of birth to settle in a country with more opportunities and better lifestyle, if given the chance to.
The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) found that 37% of Pakistanis would go overseas if they could.
The research found that 42% of Balochistan’s inhabitants want to leave Pakistan, the highest of the four provinces followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh.
Punjab is the lowest, although 35% of Punjabis, wish to leave the country.
Kashmiris are most likely to leave Pakistan, at 44%, followed by Gilgit-Baltistan.
Islamabad has the lowest percentage of people who desire to leave the land.
Age and gender also affect identity, according to research. Women leave the country at a lower rate than men.
Some 62% of people aged between 15 and 24 wish to leave the country, however, the desire diminishes with age.
Less-educated people are least likely to leave the nation.
What’s the reason behind this?
PIDE says leaving one’s home or nation is hard, but there must be a good cause. The poll found economic issues to be the biggest cause.
The study found that living with dignity was the second-biggest reason behind Pakistanis wanted to leave.
The poll found that Sindh and Balochistan want respect more than equality.
The people of Sindh are more eager to leave for security, followed by Balochistan and Kashmir.
In KP, gender equality was the top motivation for leaving.
From 1971 to June 2020, over 11.2 million Pakistanis sought work in 52 countries, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment.