Pakistan’s livestock sector stands at a critical crossroads, burdened by an alarming mismatch between the number of veterinarians available and the massive livestock population that sustains the national economy.
Read also: Exchange programs a must to elevate veterinary education standards
Across the four provincial Livestock Departments, the current strength of veterinarians remains shockingly inadequate: Punjab has only 2,500 veterinarians, Sindh 1,200, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1050 and Balochistan merely 1,004. These numbers reflect institutional weakness, manpower shortages, and a widening gap between professional capacity and national needs.
Against a livestock population exceeding 230 million animals, Pakistan is facing an extreme deficit. Globally, the recommended ratio is one veterinarian per 12,000 to 15,000 animals. Yet in Pakistan, the ratios have slipped into an unsustainable zone. In Punjab, one veterinarian is available for 56,000 animals; in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for 70,000; in Balochistan for nearly 85,000; and in Sindh, the most alarming of all, one veterinarian struggles to serve 125,000 animals. Under such conditions, expecting disease control, productivity enhancement, reproductive services, biosecurity measures, and emergency response is unrealistic.
While Pakistan faces a severe shortage in the field, unemployment among veterinarians continues to rise sharply. In 2025, the Punjab Public Service Commission announced just 64 positions of Veterinary Officers (BPS-17), attracting nearly 4,000 applicants. Sindh Public Service Commission recently announced 130 positions, drawing around 3,500 applicants. These numbers reveal the shrinking capacity of provincial livestock departments to absorb professionals. Meanwhile, veterinary institutions continue to flood the market with more graduates than the system can sustain. Pakistan currently has 20 veterinary institutions offering the DVM degree program; 18 of these institutions annually produce 1,800 to 2,000 new graduates .
To date, more than 22,000 veterinarians have been registered with the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC) as Registered Veterinary Medical Practitioners (RVMPs). Yet the absorption capacity of government institutions remains stagnant. Unregulated expansion of DVM seats—primarily driven by revenue motives—has compromised the quality of veterinary education and multiplied unemployment several-fold. The situation continues to worsen annually, placing both professional integrity and economic stability at risk.
A comparison with regional and developed countries highlights Pakistan’s deep structural crisis. In India, around 54 veterinary colleges including five private ( 60 students each class) regularly produce graduates, and according to policy‑analyst data, the annual output of veterinary graduates is approximately 2,500 to 3000). In Bangladesh, the 13 veterinary institutions generate nearly 800 veterinary graduates per year. Sri Lanka has only one main faculty, producing a relatively small number of graduates (data not as clearly reported, but significantly lower than over-producing systems like Pakistan). Among developed countries, the USA produces over 3,000 veterinary graduates annually (from its 30+ AVMA‑accredited colleges), Canada hundreds, the UK around a thousand, and Australia and New Zealand far fewer—but all of these systems tightly regulate admissions in line with workforce demand.
With the current veterinarian-to-animal ratio in Pakistan, expecting the country to implement the One Health program—which depends on strong veterinary surveillance, rapid response, and coordinated field presence—is unrealistic. Similarly, controlling Foot and Mouth Disease, one of the most economically devastating livestock diseases, is impossible without adequate veterinary manpower. FMD control demands mass vaccination, real-time reporting, movement monitoring, and continuous field presence. With one veterinarian covering 50,000 to 125,000 animals, achieving FMD-free status remains an unreachable target. This directly blocks Pakistan from accessing global meat and dairy markets and meeting international sanitary standards.
The core question emerges: can Pakistan afford such massive, unregulated production of veterinary graduates when the Livestock Departments lack the capacity to accommodate them, and unemployment continues to rise? The answer is a clear no. Without immediate structural reforms, the crisis will deepen further.
This is where the Federal Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) must play its vital role. As the federal authority responsible for national livestock policy, disease control strategy, and sectoral planning—and as the Ministry that administratively controls the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council—the MNFSR must awaken to the gravity of the situation. It must take the lead in workforce planning, institutional regulation, enrollment control, and national manpower forecasting. The Ministry is duty-bound to oversee the entire veterinary education and service ecosystem, ensuring that institutional interests do not undermine national needs.
If Pakistan is serious about improving livestock productivity, controlling transboundary diseases, advancing the One Health agenda, securing export markets, and safeguarding the future of thousands of young veterinarians, then the Federal Ministry of National Food Security and Research must take immediate and decisive action. This is no longer a routine policy concern—it is the final call before total collapse. The unemployment crisis among veterinary graduates has reached a breaking point, with thousands of qualified professionals waiting for opportunities while provincial departments remain critically understaffed. Pakistan must learn from regional countries such as India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, where structured workforce planning, strict admission controls, and quality-driven policies have strengthened veterinary services and reduced unemployment. If the Ministry fails to act now, Pakistan’s livestock sector will face irreversible damage: unemployment will rise uncontrollably, disease outbreaks will intensify, veterinary services will weaken further, exports will remain restricted, and national food security will fall into extreme danger. The system is already stretched beyond its limits. Any further delay will push it beyond the point of recovery. The time to act—boldly, responsibly, and immediately—is now, before the entire structure collapses beyond repair.
