Diaspora

The estimated size of the Pakistani diaspora in Denmark is 30,000. Most Pakistanis arrived here in early 1970s as guest workers. Majority of early immigrants came from central and northern Punjab. Due to subsequent restrictions on immigration, the number of fresh arrivals from Pakistan went down considerably.

Later on, over 2,000 Pakistanis arrived in Denmark under the Green Card Scheme (Operational between 2008 and 2016) which offered immigration opportunities to the highly skilled and professional foreigners.

The Pakistani diaspora in Denmark comprises first, second and third generation of persons of Pakistani origin. While the first generation were largely factory workers, the second and third generation are well educated and consequently employed in all major professions such as medical, legal, accounting, finance, engineering, IT and marketing etc. In particular, there are a large number of doctors and other medical professionals of Pakistani origin in Denmark.

The Pakistani diaspora is also active in local politics and presently, there is one Pakistani-origin member of Parliament (Mr. Sikander Siddique) and nine local Councilors. There are several political and cultural organizations of local Pakistanis in Denmark that provide social service to the community. The diaspora is also active in supporting charitable causes in Pakistan.

The Pakistani diaspora also has a number of ethnic media outlets including radio stations, online papers and monthly journals.