MigrantoIndian Diaspora
18.5M Indians live abroad — 1% of the population of India
Indian diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 45% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| UAE | 3248545 |
| USA | 3165238 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1953496 |
| Pakistan | 1597134 |
| Kuwait | 1231094 |
| United Kingdom | 1044779 |
| Canada | 1015630 |
| Australia | 876074 |
| Oman | 803105 |
| Qatar | 736955 |
| Nepal | 412190 |
| Singapore | 377038 |
| Bahrain | 327698 |
| Germany | 267343 |
| Italy | 186967 |
| New Zealand | 149677 |
| Malaysia | 139751 |
| Netherlands | 76806 |
| Ireland | 70228 |
| France | 66688 |
| Spain | 66624 |
| Sweden | 62598 |
| Thailand | 56847 |
| Japan | 49313 |
| Bhutan | 48810 |
| Bangladesh | 46385 |
| Belgium | 33480 |
| Myanmar | 28256 |
| South Africa | 27674 |
| Switzerland | 27635 |
| Israel | 23441 |
| Indonesia | 22758 |
| Denmark | 20963 |
| Philippines | 19801 |
| Hong Kong | 19427 |
| Austria | 19411 |
| Norway | 16374 |
| Maldives | 15642 |
| Greece | 10998 |
| Sri Lanka | 10957 |
| Portugal | 10076 |
| Mauritius | 8855 |
| Panama | 8212 |
| Finland | 8186 |
| China | 7765 |
| Tanzania | 7744 |
| Zambia | 7569 |
| Russia | 7456 |
| Seychelles | 6735 |
| Botswana | 5964 |
| Czech Republic | 5675 |
| Taiwan | 5550 |
| Libya | 5462 |
| Ukraine | 3931 |
| Hungary | 3795 |
| Mexico | 3620 |
| Brunei | 3596 |
| Luxembourg | 3224 |
| Sudan | 3066 |
| Cyprus | 2900 |
| Mozambique | 2559 |
| Brazil | 2433 |
| Madagascar | 1902 |
| Chile | 1865 |
| Malawi | 1727 |
| Poland | 1624 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1531 |
| South Sudan | 1501 |
| Malta | 1375 |
| Fiji | 1347 |
| Kazakhstan | 1190 |
| Latvia | 1188 |
| Jamaica | 1166 |
| Egypt | 1141 |
| Ghana | 1116 |
| Curaçao | 1038 |
| Sint Maarten | 920 |
| Sierra Leone | 892 |
| Bulgaria | 760 |
| Namibia | 747 |
| Belize | 742 |
| Estonia | 725 |
| Serbia | 714 |
| Cayman Islands | 708 |
| Bahamas | 677 |
| Tajikistan | 620 |
| Peru | 599 |
| Lithuania | 597 |
| Iceland | 588 |
| Bermuda | 585 |
| Lesotho | 522 |
| Liberia | 520 |
| Aruba | 505 |
| Colombia | 503 |
| Barbados | 471 |
| North Korea | 377 |
| Ecuador | 317 |
| Slovenia | 265 |
| Iraq | 237 |
| Venezuela | 231 |
| Slovakia | 211 |
| Saint Lucia | 207 |
| Guadeloupe | 180 |
| Tonga | 169 |
| Papua New Guinea | 157 |
| Bolivia | 132 |
| Mongolia | 124 |
| Cambodia | 107 |
| Dominican Republic | 105 |
| Eritrea | 92 |
| Faroe Islands | 86 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 84 |
| Costa Rica | 77 |
| Croatia | 58 |
| British Virgin Islands | 50 |
| Belarus | 45 |
| Guinea | 44 |
| French Polynesia | 38 |
| Georgia | 31 |
| Liechtenstein | 29 |
| Dominica | 28 |
| Nicaragua | 25 |
| Puerto Rico | 19 |
| El Salvador | 11 |
By region
45% of the diaspora lives in the Middle East
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Key facts
The Indian diaspora in numbers
The community in Ireland is growing fastest
The number of Indians living in Ireland has grown 245% since 2015, from 20.4K to 70.2K.
The diaspora is spread more widely than in 1990
The largest country's share fell from 43% to 18%.
The share of the diaspora living in Asia has declined since 1990
51.6% of the diaspora lived in Asia in 1990, compared with 15.5% today.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
6 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Qatar, Italy, New Zealand. Qatar climbed from outside the top 20 to #10.
Indian diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 6575416 |
| 1995 | 6900228 |
| 2000 | 7778792 |
| 2005 | 9500673 |
| 2010 | 12350515 |
| 2015 | 15277263 |
| 2020 | 16532761 |
| 2024 | 18533845 |
Largest communities over time
Indians living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | UAE | USA | Saudi Arabia | Pakistan | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 456794 | 444698 | 834742 | 2818248 | 368811 |
| 1995 | 657380 | 597182 | 922696 | 2365884 | 337135 |
| 2000 | 888393 | 1109195 | 969679 | 2101039 | 414688 |
| 2005 | 1262523 | 1419053 | 1202498 | 1998814 | 493361 |
| 2010 | 2168857 | 1799127 | 1515540 | 1943345 | 674272 |
| 2015 | 2731583 | 2381638 | 1920159 | 1709217 | 967163 |
| 2020 | 2861045 | 2741155 | 1888090 | 1597134 | 1122750 |
| 2024 | 3248545 | 3165238 | 1953496 | 1597134 | 1231094 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of Indians in each country has changed since the selected year
Indians among immigrants in other countries
Where Indians make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Indians live outside India?
Around 18.5M Indians live abroad, the world's #1 largest diaspora.
Where do most Indians abroad live?
Most Indians live in UAE, USA and Saudi Arabia — these three countries account for about 45% of all Indians living abroad.
Which country has the largest Indian population outside India?
UAE is home to the largest Indian community abroad — 3.2M people, about 18% of all Indians living abroad.
What share of the population of India lives abroad?
About 1% of the population of India lives abroad — that's 18.5M out of a total population of 1.5B.
Is the Indian diaspora growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of Indians living abroad has grown from 15.3M to 18.5M, about 21%.
Where does the data on the Indian diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in India who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
Where to live?
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Living in India
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