More and more Indians everywhere? India largest source of emigrants now

Do you feel like you're seeing more people from the Indian diaspora everywhere? The numbers now back it up. A United Nations report has identified India as having the world's largest diaspora, with over 18.5 million Indians living abroad as of 2024. The vast diaspora underscores India's profound cultural and economic connections across continents, while playing a pivotal role in shaping global migration trends.

The global migrant population continues to rise, with the United Nations estimating 304 million international migrants worldwide in 2024, a significant increase from 275 million in 2020. The growth reflects ongoing global shifts driven by economic opportunity, conflict, climate change, and education.

Indians account for 6% of all international migrants globally.

In 2024, India remained the top country of origin for international migrants, followed by China (11.7 million), Mexico (11.6 million), Ukraine (9.8 million), and the Russian Federation (9.1 million). Ukraine saw the sharpest rise, with its emigrant population increasing by 124% between mid-2020 and mid-2024 – the highest percentage jump among the top 10 origin countries, according to UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), 2025 data.

TOP COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST INDIAN DIASPORA

Due to the large migration of Indians to West Asia, they now represent almost 40% of all immigrants in the UAE and make up about one-third of the country's total population.

Notably, Indian-Americans are the second-largest Asian group in US. Chinese-Americans are the largest Asian population in the US, according to a report released this year on the basis of analysis of US Census Bureau data and the American Community Survey by the Pew Research Centre.

India's large diaspora is distributed across the United Arab Emirates (3.25 million), the United States of America (3.17 million), Saudi Arabia (1.95 million) and Canada (1.02 million), says a report by Data For India - a public platform that analyses both Indian government and multilateral agencies' data.

Other countries hosting large numbers of Indian migrants include Australia, Canada, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Bahrain, Malaysia and the United Kingdom, according to UN data.

A large part of India’s migrant population has roots in the 1947 Partition. For decades, people of Indian origin living in Pakistan made up the biggest share of Indian emigrants – a trend that continued until the mid-2000s.

Pakistan remains home to 1.6 million Indian-born individuals in 2024, accounting for nearly 9% of the total Indian diaspora worldwide, according to UN data.

Between 1990 and 2024, the number of Indian emigrants tripled from 6.5 million to 18.5 million. Their share among global out-migrants has increased from 4% to 6%, Data for India reported, citing UN data.

SAUDI ARABIA: TOP DESTINATION FOR INDIANS MIGRANTS IN 1990

In 1990, apart from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia held the distinction of hosting the largest number of Indian-born migrants, reflecting the strong labor-driven migration ties between India and the Gulf.

Indian workers played a key role in building Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure and economy, particularly in construction, oil, and domestic services.

Saudi Arabia is now the third country with 1.95 million Indian-born residents, while Canada has emerged as another major hub, reflecting changing patterns in skilled migration, education, and permanent settlement.

Between 2000 and 2020, the size of the migrant population abroad grew for nearly all countries and areas of the world. India experienced the largest gain during that period at nearly 10 million, followed in order of magnitude by Syria, Venezuela, China and the Philippines, according to a report titled: " Migration 2020 Highlights", by the Population Division of UN DESA.

Notably, India also overtook China as the most populous nation in the world, according to a 2023 report by the United Nations Population Fund.

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