The Indian Diaspora
The World's Largest Diaspora
How many Indians and people of Indian origin live abroad, where they live, and why India has the world's largest diaspora.
India has the world’s largest diaspora.
Numbers
- The UN estimated around 18 million Indian-born people living abroad in 2020, the most of any country.
- Including people of Indian origin (PIOs) born abroad, India’s Ministry of External Affairs estimates over 3 crore (30 million).
Terms
- NRIs (Non-Resident Indians): Indian citizens living abroad.
- PIOs: people of Indian origin with foreign citizenship.
- OCI holders: PIOs with Overseas Citizenship of India cards.
Where they live
- Gulf countries: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman.
- US, UK, Canada and Australia.
- Older communities in Mauritius, Fiji, Trinidad, South Africa, Malaysia and Singapore.
Economic importance
- Remittances: India is the world’s largest recipient, around 125 to 135 billion dollars a year in recent years.
- Investment, trade and knowledge links.
Diverse diaspora
The diaspora includes low-wage workers, professionals, business families and students.
The global family
One family has a son in Dubai working in construction management, a daughter in California in software and cousins in Mauritius whose ancestors left in the 1800s.
Thinking the diaspora is only professionals in the West
Many work in the Gulf, and older communities date to colonial times.
Key takeaways
- India has the world's largest diaspora.
- About 18 million Indian-born people lived abroad in 2020.
- Major destinations include the Gulf, US, UK and Canada.
- India receives the world's largest remittances.
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