Current Affairs Past Papers | Brain drain and Pakistan’s Ability to achieve SDGs
The following question of CSS Current Affairs 2026 is solved by Saweera Abid under the supervision of Sir Ammar Hashmi, the best Current Affairs Coach, on the guided pattern of Sir Syed Kazim Ali, which he taught to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory subjects for years. This solved past paper question is uploaded to help aspirants understand how to crack a topic or question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Question Breakdown
In this question, the examiner asks to write a comprehensive note analyzing how brain drain affects Pakistan’s ability to meet its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The focus should be on the causes and consequences of brain drain and its impact on SDG achievement.
Outline
1-Introduction
2-Current Situation of Massive Exodus Hampering Growth and Development
3-Pakistan’s Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
4-What and the Leading Causes of Brain Drain Impacting the Provision of SDGs?
- 4.1 Economic Causes
- ✓ Economic Instability
- ✓ Low Wages and Unemployment
- 4.2 Political Causes
- ✓ Political Instability
- ✓ Governance Issues
- 4.3 Social Causes
- ✓ Lack of Research Support and Innovation Infrastructure
- ✓ Better Economic Opportunities and Living Standards Abroad
5-What and the Cause- Linked Consequences of brain drain impacting the provision of SDGs?
- 5.1 Social Impact
- ✓ Loss of Human Capital and Experts
- ✓ Weak Public Services
- 5.2 Economic Impact
- ✓ Economic Slow Down
- ✓ Weakens sectors like healthcare and technology
- 5.3 Political Impact
- ✓ Loss of leadership potential
- ✓ Weak governance capacity
6-Way Forward for Cause-centric solution
7-Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
Brain drain refers to the emigration of highly skilled and educated individuals from a country in search of better economic opportunities, living standards, and professional growth. Existing statistics show an increasing trend of emigration among Pakistani youth. According to the report of the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment, published by the Government of Pakistan, the number of emigrants has reached 61,733 in the first two months of 2026. Data by Gallup Pakistan Digital Analysis shows an average annual emigration of around 6048 in the year 2025, as compared to 5860 in 2024, showcasing an increasing outflow trend. Brain drain caused by economic instability, low wages, unemployment, chronic political disorder, governance issues, lack of research support & innovation infrastructure impacted the provision of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an unprecedented way. It enables the exodus of experts, leading to a loss of human capital and thus quality public service. Resultantly, the country is facing economic slowdown, weakened institutional strength, and governance capacity. Pakistan not only needs survival but a strategy that can be seen as innovation under constraint. In this context, the implementation of the concept of bricolage can act as improvisation using limited means for the country. It can help the country utilize what it has without relying on or waiting for the ideal conditions. Besides, bricolage encourages informal and small-scale entrepreneurship, reducing dependency on a state-led business-friendly environment and helping communities to self-organize and fill institutional gaps. Furthermore, it is aligned with development goals as it promotes inclusive growth (SDG 8), encourages innovation (SDG 9), and supports sustainable consumption of resources (SDG 12), enabling development even in resource-scarce settings.
A Cursory Glance on the Problem
In the context of Pakistan, emigration supports economic stability as analysts mark remittances as a lifeline for the country’s economy. First, it supports foreign exchange reserves, helps stabilize the Pakistani Rupee, reduces pressure on the balance of payments, and increases foreign direct investment (FDI). Second, remittances help reduce the Current Account Deficit and help bridge the import/ export gap by bringing in dollars. Furthermore, they boost consumption and economic growth by increasing household spending (consumption-driven economy) and demand for goods and services, contributing to GDP growth. However, the increasing number of Pakistani exodus abroad is rooted in deep-rooted socio-economic issues that led to the departure of highly talented workforce and intellectuals abroad, creating a gap for growth and development. Thus, it poses a threat to the nation’s progress and stability.
Current Situation of Pakistani Exodus Abroad Hampering Growth and Development
Existing statistics show an increasing trend of emigration among Pakistani youth, which roughly accounts for 67% of 242.49 million in 2026. According to the statistics provided by the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment published by the Government of Pakistan, the number of immigrants has reached 61,733 in two months in the year 2026. Data provided by Gallup Pakistan Digital Analysis shows an average annual emigration of around 6048 in the year 2025, as compared to 5860 in 2024, showcasing an increasing outflow trend. Linking the impact of such massive outflow, 35% account for skilled workers among the total Pakistani workers registered for overseas, creating a development gap in a country having a 68% literacy rate. The reduced availability of researchers reflects reduced scientific output and slower technological advancement, which contributes to economic slowdown as reflected in low GDP growth (2.0%), increasing inflation (7.90%), rising debt (77.0% of GDP), and declining foreign reserves.
Pakistan’s Commitment and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDGs refer to a set of 17 global goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 under the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Pakistan’s commitment to SDGs as a part of its national development agenda came into force in 2016. Besides, special SDG Units were created at the federal and provincial levels to monitor progress. However, the goals are integrated into policies like Vision 2025 later. The country’s commitment made it institutionally bound to work toward achieving these goals by 2030.
What and the Leading Causes of brain drain impacting the provision of SDGs?
Brain drain is impacting the provision of SDGs, delaying achievement in an indispensable way. The following points describe the leading socio-economic and political causes of brain drain, especially in educated youth.
1- Economic Causes
- ✓ Economic Instability
The country’s economy remains highly contingent on external sources marked by cycles of booms and busts, contributing to uneven development that dilutes the prospects of long-term stability. The persistent economic instability reduces overall investment in social development, impacting living standards. Whereas debt dependency exposed the country to certain restrictions imposed by international donors, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), paving the way for an unexpected trajectory of inflation. Altogether, the poor performance of the economy and impacted living standards cause trust deficit, leading to the massive exodus in search of a country where hard work pays off.
- ✓ Low Wages and Unemployment
To adjust to the rising inflation, where rupee depreciation must be tackled with wage adjustment, fewer resources don’t allow such adjustment. In this situation, wages can’t met one’s requirement to fulfil even basic necessities. Besides, overall basic pay falls in the category of low wages, especially for informal work. The country’s employment is mainly based on the informal recruitment system; thus, low wages for that portion means subjecting a massive portion of the population to poverty. Apart from this, unemployment rates remain high due to persistent economic instability, leading to fewer jobs. According to the report of Dawn disclosed by the Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2024-25, Pakistan’s unemployed population surged by a staggering 31 per cent, or 1.4 million, rising from 4.5m in 2020-21 to 5.9m in 2024-25, highlighting mounting challenges in the country’s labour market. Its negative impact is not limited only to social development but to social structure, where the whole family depends on one person for the fulfilment of their financial needs, reinforcing kinship culture, a leading cause of corruption, nepotism, and injustice in the social and political system. Altogether, these factors are enough for the emergence of frustration, trust deficit, and anger in the hearts of those in search of meritocracy.
2- Political Causes
- ✓ Political Instability
Meritocracy decline is attributed to kinship mechanisms that enforce conflict competition in an already ethnically-divided country state. Power holders legitimize their regimes by building networks to fall under the category of legal democratic tenure. However, upsetting their counterparts does not mean dissent but a chance to dethrone, marking the usual removal of elected regimes. In the history of Pakistan, not a single prime minister completed the constitutionally provided premiership tenure, excluding military dictators. The political instability obstructs policy consistency, leading to economic shocks and uneven development. It’s the point where anger emerges in the marginalized communities. Emigration statistics show the labour force encapsulates a major portion of the exodus. A politically unstable environment increases insecurity in a country known for the existence of terrorism, making it unsafe for the whole nation. Combining all factors provides a valid argument for departure.
- ✓ Governance Issues
A politically unstable environment sustained with kinship mechanisms rather than meritocracy enables the tendencies of corruption, nepotism, and injustice, creating governance issues. At the same time, dissent reinforced by ethnic differences reduces the prospects of policy consistency. Besides, the country’s outdated governance models do not meet modern standards needed for economic prosperity but better fit in society, thus remain enforced. Partial implementation of federalism with a hybrid model further complicated the governance structure, marking governance gaps and loosening the gap.
3- Social Causes
- ✓ Lack of Research Support and Innovation Infrastructure
Economic fragility enables fewer resource allocations to research and innovation, reducing and delaying growth and development. It affects competitive minds and creates a trust deficit in the institutional capacity to hold such talent. Besides, this innovation-restricted environment has broader implications on the development of competitive minds, where many lose hope and limit themselves to survival mode. However, others opt to migrate abroad to explore the opportunities that meet their capacity. Political instability led to policy inconsistency alongside resource constraints, further marred the Higher Education Commission’s long-term research planning.
- ✓ Better Economic Opportunities and Living Standards Abroad
The provision of better financial opportunities and living standards is the key reason young talent prefer moving abroad, either through scholarship utilization or a paid visa. However, some prefer utilizing currency value where kin of the family move abroad and transfer money in foreign currency that doubles their family’s capacity in Pakistan. In this way, one can improve the living standards of a family in the country where their financial capacity can easily meet inflation or price hikes.
What and the Cause- Linked Consequences of brain drain impacting the provision of SDGs?
1- Social Impact
- ✓ Loss of Human Capital and Experts
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-4) provided for the provision of quality education. The country’s commitment to the achievement of quality education by 2030 is interrupted by brain drain. The departure of qualified teachers and researchers left a vacuum, reducing the quality of higher education. Combined with unemployment, the issue escalates where basic qualifications are considered for recruitment in education to meet the demand, followed by a recurrent cycle where poor quality education encourages migration.
- ✓ Institutional Impact
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-16) provided for the provision of justice, peace, and strong institutions. Its provision by 2030 is obstructed by existing conditions, whereas exodus left the country with the choice to maintain the status quo, as change requires intellectuals. The emigration of highly qualified people left the country with the choice of bricolage, where adjustment means the rule of the majority present people, which does not include the creative minority. Thus, the country’s administration and system are entangled with issues born out of incompetence and lack of capacity, showcasing the dark picture blatantly. Existing corruption and the human development index, alongside rule of law indicators, are testimony to the fact. The latest World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index ranked Pakistan 130th out of 143 countries and 65th in the Global Safety Index 2025.
2- Economic Impact
- ✓ Economic Slow Down
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG- 8) provided for the provision of decent Work and economic growth. However, brain drain reduces productivity and innovation capacity required for industrial development and technology adoption. Combined with a lack of quality education, these issues limit the emergence of entrepreneurship. Altogether leading to lower GDP growth, a weak knowledge-based economy, and reduced competitiveness in global markets. The economy’s survival on remittances can’t substitute for lost human capital.
- ✓ Weakens sectors like healthcare and technology
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG- 3) provides for the provision of good health and well-being; however, the shortage of healthcare professionals due to migration to countries like the UK, US, and Gulf states has weakened availability and pandemic response capacity. Besides, innovation and technological lag lead to a delay in building a knowledge economy. Outflow of STEM professionals, fewer patents, fewer startups and research initiatives, over-dependence on foreign expertise, and delayed industrial modernization limit the provision of SDG 9, which provides for Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.
3- Political Impact
- ✓ Loss of leadership potential
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG- 8) provided for the provision of inclusive growth. In a country like Pakistan, where the nation is divided on ethnic and linguistic grounds, a binding force is required. This is possible in the presence of a charismatic and competent leader like Jinnah, who joined the highly divided Northern areas of the Indian Subcontinent. However, the massive migration of competent individuals leaves a vacuum not only for the present but also for the future, where ideological disconnect prohibits one’s effort to reside in the country.
- ✓ Weak governance capacity
Good governance requires targeted policy formulation, strong governance structures, and broad reform capacity to build strong institutions, provided the commitment under SDG-16. However, the brain targets these three factors, leading to inefficient service delivery and a highly corrupt environment. In this way, brain drain impacts the successful achievement of SDGs by 2030 by limiting and delaying the results of state-led efforts.
Way Forward for Cause-centric solution
Pakistan not only needs survival but a strategy that can be seen as innovation under constraint. In this context, the implementation of the concept of bricolage, which is widely discussed in development and entrepreneurship literature by scholars like Claude Lévi-Strauss, can act as improvisation using limited means for the country. In African countries, resource constraints prove to be drivers of innovation. It can help Pakistan use what it has without relying on or waiting for the ideal conditions. It encourages innovation and wise use of time. Besides, Bricolage encourages informal and small-scale entrepreneurship, reducing dependency on a state-led business-friendly environment. Furthermore, it can help communities to self-organize and fill institutional gaps. Besides, it is aligned with development goals as it promotes inclusive growth (SDG 8), encourages innovation (SDG 9), and supports sustainable consumption (SDG 12), enabling development even in resource-scarce settings.
Conclusion
To conclude, brain drain caused by economic instability, low wages, unemployment, chronic political Instability, governance issues, lack of research support, and innovation infrastructure impacted the provision of SDGs in an unprecedented way. It enables the exodus of experts, leading to a loss of human capital and thus quality public service. Resultantly, the country faced economic slowdown, weakened institutional strength, and governance capacity. Dealing with brain drain requires a strategy that tackles its causes and brings the country on the path of sustainable development.
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