By Dr. Ahsan Ali Memon
A Generation on the Brink
Pakistan stands at a perilous crossroads. Long hailed as a nation with a “youth bulge”—a demographic dividend that could propel it into prosperity—the country’s young population, comprising roughly 64% of the total, is instead emerging as a liability in an economy that has failed them. This is not mere rhetoric; it is the lived reality of millions whose aspirations have collided with a harsh and indifferent socio-economic landscape .
The numbers are sobering. Pakistan’s youth unemployment rate has crossed 15%, with nearly half of jobseekers aged 15–24 out of work . The official unemployment figure of 7.1%—the highest in 21 years—masks a deeper crisis of underemployment, where graduates are forced into informal, low-wage work that offers neither security nor a meaningful pathway forward . A staggering 51% of university students show symptoms of depression, while UNICEF estimates that one in four Pakistani adolescents experiences anxiety or depression .
The Numbers Tell a Grim Tale
The Employment Crisis
Pakistan’s labor force, currently numbering around 71.8 million, is growing by 2 million new entrants each year. Yet the economy is creating nowhere near enough jobs to absorb them. The World Bank has warned that Pakistan must create up to 30 million jobs over the next decade—approximately 2.5 to 3 million annually—to avoid instability and mass migration. In stark contrast, the government’s approved projects promise a mere 95,000 jobs .
This disconnect is compounded by an “education paradox”: universities produce approximately 800,000 graduates annually, but the job market cannot absorb them, leaving roughly 6 million graduates unemployed . The mismatch between skills and job opportunities costs the economy an estimated 2-3% of GDP each year . According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26, almost 40% of graduates feel their skills do not match market demands .
For those who do find work, the rewards are often insulting. A young graduate in Karachi, after spending up to PKR 200,000 per semester on education, may be offered a starting salary of PKR 20,000 to PKR 25,000—barely enough to cover transportation costs . The inflation spike that peaked above 38% in 2023 eroded purchasing power so severely that entry-level salaries lost nearly half their real value within two years .
The Brain Drain: A Nation in Flight
The most visible symptom of this crisis is the unprecedented exodus of talent. In 2025 alone, 763,526 Pakistanis registered for overseas employment—a 5% increase from the already staggering 727,381 who left in 2024 . This “brain drain” is not merely a matter of numbers but a hemorrhage of the nation’s brightest and most skilled professionals:
- 5,000 doctors left Pakistan in 2024–25
- 11,000 engineers departed during the same period
- 13,000 accountants and finance professionals followed suit
- 12,700 IT and technical professionals also left in 2025 alone
The loss is estimated to cost Pakistan approximately $4.2 billion annually in lost economic activity and foregone tax revenues . As The Express Tribune has described it, Pakistan is becoming a “brain drain economy”—a nation sustaining itself by sending away the very people who could build its future.
Poverty and Despair
The World Bank estimates that over 47% of Pakistan’s population now lives below the poverty line—a dramatic worsening from pre-crisis levels—with the steepest falls concentrated among the young, urban, and semi-educated households that had believed themselves to be on an upward trajectory. The psychological injury of downward mobility—working harder than one’s parents and achieving measurably less—does not disappear when an inflation headline improves. It accumulates.
Syed Zafar Abbas of the JDC Foundation has warned that desperation is pushing people toward suicide, theft, and psychological breakdowns. “Every second young patient in heart hospitals today is suffering because of unemployment and hopelessness,” he said .
The Psychological Toll: A Generation in Crisis
The financial crisis has profound psychological consequences. A 2025 study examining financial insecurity and perceived stress among unemployed graduates in Pakistan found a significant positive association between financial insecurity and stress levels (r = 0.11, p < .05). Subgroup comparisons revealed higher stress levels among women, postgraduates, and rural participants—all with statistically significant differences (p < .001) .
Young Pakistanis report rising levels of anxiety, stress, and burnout. Yet fewer than 500 trained psychiatrists serve the entire country—meaning one psychiatrist for every 550,000 people, far below the WHO standard of 1 per 10,000 . Most educational institutions lack counseling services, and social stigma discourages those who need help from seeking it. Mental illness is often dismissed as weakness or moral failing, leaving millions to suffer in silence.
The pressure is intensified by gender norms. Young men are expected to provide financially despite scarce opportunities, while young women navigate rigid expectations around education, employment, and marriage. Female labor force participation remains a dismal 22.8%, one of the lowest rates in the world. Bridging this gender gap could potentially boost GDP by up to 30%.
The consequence is a generation trapped in deferred adulthood. Financial dependence on family extends longer than expected, delaying milestones such as marriage, housing, and personal autonomy.
A Call to Action
Pakistan’s youth crisis is not insurmountable, but overcoming it will require decisive action across multiple fronts:
- Education Reform:The curriculum must be updated to align with market needs, focusing on practical, technical, and vocational training. Career guidance should be integrated early.
- Job Creation:Economic policy must prioritize labor-intensive sectors such as primary healthcare, tourism, renewable energy, and small-scale agriculture. The private sector, which accounts for 90% of jobs, needs support through stable policies and investment.
- Mental Health Infrastructure:The country urgently needs to expand its mental health workforce and integrate counseling services into educational institutions. Public awareness campaigns must reduce the stigma associated with seeking help .
- Harness the Diaspora:Rather than viewing emigration solely as a loss, Pakistan must build stronger links with its diaspora—as sources of investment, knowledge transfer, and advocacy.
- Youth Inclusion in Policymaking:Young people constitute the majority of the population but have minimal presence in decision-making spaces. Their perspectives must shape policies on employment, education, and governance.
Conclusion
The resilience of Pakistan’s youth is frequently praised, but resilience cannot replace opportunity. Endurance in the absence of structural support is not progress; it is evidence of systemic failure. A society cannot expect its young generation to carry the burden of dysfunction indefinitely.
Pakistan stands at a critical juncture. The choice is clear: invest in the potential of its young population, or watch as that potential walks out the door, seeking dignity and opportunity abroad. The cost of inaction is measured not just in rupees, but in shattered dreams, lost potential, and a generation questioning whether their future has any place in their own homeland.
The writer is a healthcare analyst, academician and pharmacist. He can be reached at [ahsanalison@yahoo.com].