Five Pakistani workers were killed in a tragic gas cylinder explosion in the Manfouha district of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
According to initial reports, all of the victims were from the Mansehra district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The deceased have been identified as Muhammad Saeed, Abid Hussain, Abdul Rehman, Muhammad Safeer, and Muhammad Rustam.
Meanwhile, officials at the Pakistani Embassy are in continuous contact with Saudi police and other relevant authorities. Once the necessary legal formalities have been completed, arrangements will be made either to bury the victims in Saudi Arabia or to repatriate their bodies to Pakistan, in accordance with the wishes of their families.
The tragic incident has deeply saddened the Pakistani community in Saudi Arabia, while the victims’ families are mourning the devastating loss.
Pakistan sent 762,499 workers abroad in 2025
Pakistan sent 762,499 workers overseas in 2025, with Saudi Arabia remaining the top destination after hiring 530,256 Pakistanis, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the country’s total overseas employment during the year, according to the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE).
Official figures showed that the cumulative number of registered Pakistani workers employed abroad reached 15.13 million between 1971 and mid-2026.
Saudi Arabia has remained Pakistan’s largest overseas labour market over the past five decades, employing 7.87 million Pakistanis, or more than 52 per cent of all registered overseas workers since 1971.
The United Arab Emirates ranked second with 4.48 million Pakistani workers, followed by Oman (1.08 million), Qatar (488,787), Bahrain (297,775), and Kuwait (199,275).
In 2025 alone, Saudi Arabia hired 530,256 Pakistani workers, followed by Qatar with 68,376, the UAE with 52,664, Bahrain with 37,726, Oman with 9,375, and Kuwait with 6,590.
After a sharp decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, overseas employment has rebounded strongly, with Pakistan sending more than 700,000 workers annually since 2023.
Pakistan’s overseas workforce continues to be dominated by skilled and semi-skilled labour. In 2024, the largest occupational groups included 364,574 labourers, 185,209 drivers, 14,938 masons, 10,895 electricians, 8,018 engineers, and 3,642 doctors.
The Gulf region remains the backbone of Pakistan’s overseas employment and remittance inflows. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the country received a record $38.3 billion in workers’ remittances during FY2024-25, up from $30.25 billion a year earlier.
Saudi Arabia was the largest source of remittances, contributing $9.34 billion, followed by the UAE with $7.83 billion. Together, the two countries accounted for more than $17 billion, nearly half of Pakistan’s total remittance inflows.
Although Pakistanis have migrated to more than 50 countries since 1971, the Gulf continues to dominate overseas employment, while non-Gulf destinations account for less than 5 per cent of total registered overseas workers. Among the leading non-Gulf destinations are Malaysia, Iraq, Libya, the United Kingdom, Italy, Cyprus, and South Korea.
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