8.6.1. Migration profile

Bangladesh is one of the largest countries of origin of migrant workers in the world,1160 with 500 000 people emigrating to work abroad every year.1161 The country is, moreover, one of the world’s top remittance recipients.1162 Mainly men go abroad to work, although thousands of women also do so,1163 and the main areas of destination are Southeast Asia1164 and Middle Eastern countries,1165 such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states.1166 Most migrants are low- or unskilled workers and make use of agents and private recruitment agencies to arrange foreign employment and travel, which are associated with high costs.1167 In some countries Bangladeshi migrant workers have moreover faced widespread abuse, particularly in the Middle East.1168

According to Bangladesh’s Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) and as reported by The Business Standard, between 2020 and 2024, Bangladesh sent workers to 182 countries, including 42 European countries with Italy hiring 26 333 workers legally, followed by Romania, the UK, Croatia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Cyprus, Albania, and Russia.1169

In 2024, Ami Probashi, a Bangladeshi digital platform providing support to migrant workers who wish to work abroad, recorded a 27.4 % decline in 2024 in overseas migration compared to the previous year, ‘due to structural reforms in the political system and economy’, and the political and economic instabilities in the summer, as reported by the Daily Star.1170 However, the labour emigration decreased between May 2024 and September 2024; the numbers increased again in October 2024 and remained steady in October-December 2024.1171

In 2024, Bangladeshis were the top-most represented nationality arriving irregularly in Italy through the central Mediterranean route, known as ‘the deadliest route globally’ as reported by UNHCR.1172 According to UNODC, transregional smuggling through North Africa to Europe of inter alia Bangladeshis was on the rise as of the beginning of 2024.1173