TL;DR: India’s diaspora has grown from about 16.2 million in 2012 to 37.3 million in 2026, but the growth has been uneven. The US, UAE and Canada now account for a large share, while older diaspora communities in places such as Malaysia and Myanmar remain predominantly PIOs. The balance between NRIs and PIOs has also shifted, with NRIs making up nearly half the total today. The numbers also show two very different migration stories: recent, work-driven migration to the Gulf and longer-settled communities across Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Around 30 Indian citizens also die abroad every day, with the Gulf accounting for much of the total.

Context

Almost every Indian family has a geography. An aunt in Sharjah, a cousin in Canada, a neighbour’s son who left for a master’s in Ohio and stayed. Multiply those stories across generations and continents, and the scale becomes difficult to picture: Indians living outside the country now number more than the populations of Canada, Australia and the Netherlands combined, spread across nearly 200 countries and territories.

They are not all the same. Some are Indian citizens (NRIs) living abroad as workers, students or professionals. Others are foreign citizens (PIOs) whose families left India generations ago, including descendants of indentured labourers and traders. Together, they make up what is widely regarded as the world’s largest diaspora, while remaining deeply connected to India. In 2024, Indians abroad sent home an estimated US$138 billion in remittances.

The numbers have changed considerably over time. Today’s article traces that changing map: where Indians live, which communities are growing or shrinking, and how many Indians die abroad each year.

Who compiles this data?

The data on the Indian population abroad come from the Ministry of External Affairs, which builds them from estimates by Indian missions and posts abroad.

Where can I download clean & structured data related to this?

Clean, structured, and ready-to-use datasets related to Country-wise Population of Overseas Indians, including Non-Resident Indians and Persons of Indian Origin, are available on Dataful. 

Key Insights

Indian Diaspora abroad is growing

There are now almost twice as many Indians living outside the country as there were in 2012. The combined NRI and PIO population stood at about 21.9 million in May 2012. By January 2026, it had reached 37.3 million, a 70% increase.

Much of that growth happened in the first few years. Between 2012 and 2015, the number rose by 6.6 million, reaching 28.5 million. The US alone added 2.2 million, with its PIO population rising from 1.3 million to 3.2 million. Myanmar added another 1.65 million, while Saudi Arabia added about 1.1 million.

The increase was much smaller after that. The total reached 31 million by December 2018 and 32.2 million by March 2022. It then climbed to 34.4 million by January 2025 and 37.3 million a year later.

What stands out is not just the size of the diaspora today, but how quickly it has expanded in little more than a decade.

The line between NRI and PIO is shifting

For much of the period, the balance between NRIs and PIOs changed only gradually. NRIs accounted for 46% of the diaspora in 2012, falling to 40% in 2015 as the PIO count rose sharply. By 2023, their share had settled at around 42%.

Then, in January 2025, the balance changed. The NRI count rose from 13.6 million to 17.2 million, while the PIO count fell from 18.7 million to 17.2 million. The two groups were suddenly almost exactly equal. The shift was concentrated in a handful of countries. Canada accounted for the largest change, with 1.57 million more people counted as NRIs, followed by the US with 638,000 and the UAE with 471,000. At the same time, Myanmar’s roughly two million PIOs disappeared from the count, while the UK’s PIO population fell by 442,000.

By January 2026, the balance had moved further: NRIs accounted for 47.6% of Indians abroad, compared with 52.4% who were classified as PIOs. The change is not simply about migration. It also reflects how people are classified, and how those classifications change over time.

A handful of countries account for most of the diaspora

The Indian diaspora is spread across nearly 200 countries, but most of it is concentrated in a surprisingly small group. The US is now home to 6.08 million overseas Indians, followed by the UAE with 4.34 million and Canada with 3.25 million. Together, the top ten countries account for 72.5% of the global total; the top five alone account for 52%.

There are now ten countries with more than a million overseas Indians, compared with seven in 2012. But the story is different from country to country. The UAE has grown from 1.75 million Indians in 2012 to 4.34 million today, moving from third place to second. The US has grown 2.7 times, while Canada’s community has grown 3.2 times, the fastest expansion among the largest diaspora populations.

Saudi Arabia tells a different story. It was once the largest Indian community in the Gulf, but its numbers have barely moved: 2.80 million in 2015 compared with 2.75 million today. The UK has gone in the opposite direction, falling from 1.83 million in 2015 to 1.28 million, largely because its PIO population fell from 1.5 million to 0.91 million. Singapore has also declined, from 6,70,000 in 2012 to 4,83,000.

Two very different Indian diasporas

The difference becomes clearer when the numbers are separated into NRIs and PIOs. In the UAE, there are 4.33 million NRIs but only 17,760 PIOs. Malaysia looks almost like the mirror image: 2.75 million PIOs and a much smaller NRI population.

These are two different histories of migration. The Gulf diaspora is largely a story of relatively recent migration for work, with strong links to India and, often, an expectation of return. Much of the older diaspora took shape through plantations, indentured labour and trading networks, creating communities that have now been rooted abroad for generations.

The six Gulf countries together account for 9.96 million overseas Indians, about 27% of the global diaspora, but 56% of all NRIs. Their share of the NRI population has nevertheless fallen from 65% in 2023 to 56% in 2026, as the centre of gravity has shifted somewhat toward Western countries.

About 30 Indians die abroad every day

The diaspora is not just a story of people leaving and settling elsewhere. Thousands of Indian citizens die abroad each year. Between 2021 and 2025, that annual figure adds up to 55,550 deaths, or roughly over 30 a day. The count fell to 9,740 in 2022 and has remained around 11,000 to 12,000 a year since.

The places where Indians die most often are, unsurprisingly, also the places with some of the largest Indian populations. In 2025, the UAE recorded 2,754 deaths and Saudi Arabia 2,659, together accounting for nearly half of the total. The US followed with 947, Kuwait with 750 and Oman with 521. These five countries together accounted for 65% of the 11,770 deaths.

Why does it matter?

The diaspora is often discussed through remittances, but its size and geography tell a much bigger story about how India connects to the world. Where Indians live reflects changing labour markets, education, migration policy and generations of settlement. The distinction between NRIs and PIOs also matters: a worker in Dubai and a fourth-generation Indian in Malaysia may share ancestry, but they represent very different relationships with India. Looking at the numbers over time helps separate genuine changes in migration from changes in how countries and people are counted. It also shows where India’s overseas population is growing or becoming more deeply rooted.

Key Numbers

• Total overseas Indians: 21.9M (2012) → 37.3M (2026)

• NRIs vs PIOs, Jan 2026: 17.8M NRIs · 19.5M PIOs

• Largest communities, Jan 2026: USA 6.08M · UAE 4.34M · Canada 3.25M · Malaysia 2.90M · Saudi Arabia 2.75M

• Indian citizens who died abroad: 11,138 (2021) · 11,770 (2025)

• Share of 2025 deaths in five countries: ~65%