New Delhi: India now has the world’s largest diaspora population, with 3.43 crore people of Indian origin living abroad, according to a recent government reply in the Lok Sabha.
The United States hosts the single largest share, with nearly 57 lakh Indians living there. The diaspora is evenly divided between Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), with each group at 1.71 crore.
The Indian diaspora continues to make a significant contribution to the country’s economy. Remittances touched a record $135.46 billion in 2024-25, up 14 per cent from the previous year, according to RBI data.
For more than a decade, India has remained the world’s top recipient of remittances, the World Bank said. Nearly half of India’s diaspora population lives in just 10 countries. The United States hosts the largest number with 56.9 lakh Indians, followed by the UAE (38.9 lakh), Malaysia (29.3 lakh), and Saudi Arabia (27.5 lakh).
The Gulf region continues to attract NRIs, with about 76.5 lakh Indians living in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. On the other hand, PIOs are more concentrated in Western countries, with around 66 lakh in the US, UK, and Canada, making up nearly 40 percent of the global PIO population.
Smaller countries also have long-established Indian communities. These include Mauritius (8.9 lakh), Trinidad & Tobago (5.4 lakh), Fiji (3.1 lakh), Guyana (3.2 lakh), Suriname (1.8 lakh), and Reunion Island (3 lakh).
Cultural Outreach
To promote cultural ties, India operates 38 Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) centres abroad, located in cities such as London, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Johannesburg, Berlin, Beijing, and Tokyo. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also runs 219 Missions and Posts worldwide.
