In a recent study, the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) looked at the statistics and reasons behind people’s desires, whether they want to remain in or leave Pakistan.
The desire to migrate was found to be most prevalent in the youngest of people, aged 15 to 24. Of those young people, at least 62 percent of males want to leave the country.
Economic reasons are the most prevalent when people decide to leave their country. The next two significant motivations are securing equal rights and more respect. Protecting women’s rights and preserving their safety is also a significant reason for wanting to leave.
Research shows that both men and women in all age groups are motivated by higher income at an equal rate. However, gender equality is a stronger motivator for younger women.
It’s indisputable that going abroad will increase your respect…regardless of age, gender, or background.
For both genders, children living abroad become increasingly significant as age increases. Survey data suggest this is attributed to ‘Other’ causes.
When examining trends across regions, provinces, and territories, some interesting reasons to leave the country became apparent.
Some of the unexpected responses we found were from people moving abroad to get a greater amount of respect from their peers, which wasn’t what we expected. We did find, however, that most respondents wanted a higher salary and more equal opportunities for success.
The second most cited reason for wanting to leave the country is a desire for respect (44%).
When you look at the level of urbanization in Pakistan, it becomes clear that individuals residing in both rural and urban areas are remarkably similar. This disproves the idea that they are two quite diverse groups who live vastly different lives.
For people living in Sindh and Baluchistan, the need for more respect trumps the concept of a higher salary.
In Sindh, people reported moving out for safety the most often. Baluchistan and AJK followed close behind.
In KP and GB, the most common reasons for wanting to leave the country that was given were gender equality and better education opportunities. In KP, there are a substantial number of “other” reasons for wanting to leave, which are mostly related to gaining higher education.
