Saudi Arabia has remained the leading destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers in 2025, with more than 740,000 nationals travelling to the Kingdom for employment, according to official data.
Figures from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) show that 744,619 Bangladeshis secured jobs in Saudi Arabia during the year, making it the largest overseas labour market for the country.
Qatar emerged as the second-largest destination, receiving 107,472 Bangladeshi workers in 2025. Singapore and Kuwait followed, employing 70,056 and 72,717 Bangladeshi nationals, respectively.
Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia signed a manpower export agreement last year, marking the first such arrangement in the 50-year history of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Officials say the agreement has helped streamline recruitment and improve worker protections.
Separate multi-entry visa arrangements have also been introduced for Bangladeshi expatriate workers in Malaysia, aimed at easing travel and employment procedures.
BMET Additional Director General Md Ashraf Hossain said Bangladesh sent nearly 1.12 million workers abroad in 2025, including both men and women.
“The emphasis now is on safe, skilled and regular migration,” he said, adding that increased budget allocations were needed to support training and compliance mechanisms.
Bangladesh had sent 1.30 million workers overseas in 2023, while the figure stood at just over 1.01 million in 2024, according to BMET data.
The steady outflow of workers has contributed to a sharp rise in remittance inflows. Bangladesh has recorded strong growth in remittances since late 2024, supported by efforts to narrow the gap between official and informal exchange rates and a crackdown on money laundering.
From January to December 2025, Bangladeshi expatriates sent about US$32.82 billion in remittances, official figures show.
Bangladesh Bank data indicate that remittance inflows reached US$33.33 billion in the 2024–25 fiscal year, up from US$23.91 billion in the previous fiscal year.
During the July–December period of the 2025 fiscal year, expatriates sent US$16.08 billion, compared with US$13.66 billion during the same period a year earlier.
The central bank said remittance inflows crossed US$30 billion for the first time in fiscal 2024–25, increasing by a record US$6.4 billion. The previous highest annual remittance receipt was US$24.8 billion in fiscal 2020–21.
Officials at the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment said the government is actively exploring new labour markets, including Russia, Brunei Darussalam and parts of Eastern Europe, to expand overseas employment opportunities.
The government has also launched specialised training programmes for nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals to meet growing international demand for skilled and semi-skilled workers.
Recruiting agents said overseas employment faced challenges in some traditional markets, particularly Malaysia, but diversification of destinations and rising demand in new regions helped offset the slowdown.
