Nearly 2.5 million Pakistanis travelled abroad over the past three years for employment, revealed a report by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis released on Monday.

Nearly 0.8 million people travelled abroad in the year 2014, while the total number of Pakistanis travelling abroad in the years 2015 and 2016 were 0.92 million and 0.82 million respectively.

The report further showed that the number of Pakistanis sent abroad for employment exceeded the number of Bangladeshis and Indians sent by their respective government during the same tenure.

The majority of Pakistanis who went abroad for employment travelled to the Gulf countries, the report said.

Those who went abroad for employment included doctors, engineers, agricultural experts and cooks among others.

The government is taking steps to find more jobs for Pakistanis in foreign countries, the report said, adding that 10 thousand Pakistanis were given additional visas to Qatar during the tenure of the incumbent government.