Bangladesh achieved a new record in overseas employment in 2025 by sending over 750,000 workers to Saudi Arabia, the highest number ever deployed to a single country, officials confirmed. According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), this marks a 16% increase from 2024, when around 628,000 Bangladeshis went to the Kingdom for work, highlighting Saudi Arabia as the preferred destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers.
In total, more than 1.1 million Bangladeshis went abroad for employment last year, with over two-thirds choosing Saudi Arabia, which hosts an estimated 3.5 million Bangladeshi expatriates who remit over $5 billion annually.
Authorities attribute the rise partly to enhanced Skill Verification Programs and expanded certification facilities, enabling more workers to meet Saudi labour requirements. BMET has also introduced training in emerging sectors, including mining, to meet growing demand. A recent employment agreement between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia is expected to strengthen worker protections, ensure wage security, and expand welfare services, potentially creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs under Saudi Vision 2030 projects in 2026.
