PAKISTAN’S NURSING CRISIS: WORKFORCE SHORTAGE AND MIGRATION OF NURSES A RESEARCH-BASED ANALYSIS OF SUPPLY, DEMAND, AND OUTMIGRATION IN PAKISTAN’S NURSING WORKFORCE (2019-2026)

Abstract

Pakistan is experiencing a dual situation regarding the nursing profession, both in terms of a low number of nurses in the country and sending a large number of Pakistanis nurses to other countries to work in health care systems. This article relies on the data of the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE), Pakistan Business Council/Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery (SONAM) 2025 report, WHO benchmarks, and recent peer-reviewed and institutional research to explore the magnitude of the shortage, the migration speed, and the structural drivers that link the two. The ratio of nurses per population in Pakistan is merely 5.2 per 10,000 people, which is only one-sixth of the recommended level of 30 per 10,000 by WHO; the health system only produces 5,600 nursing graduates in a year, whereas it is estimated that over 700,000 nurses are required in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the number of Pakistani nurses who have registered for overseas employment has surged at a compound annual growth rate of almost 54 per cent from 2019 to 2024, the fastest of any other highly qualified occupation category in Pakistan's migration statistics. But it's no accident that an underfunded, doctor-centric health system, which offers nurses poor pay and working conditions, is failing to train enough nurses or keep them from leaving, and there is a global demand for nurses that will grow to a deficit of 4.1 million by 2030, offering an increasingly appealing alternative. The article ends with policy recommendations focused on the capacity and development of nursing education, incentives for nursing retention, and a managed migration that includes remittance and skills transfer benefits while not undermining the nursing workforce.