In this article we will talk about the 20 Countries with Highest Indian Population in the World.

Overseas Indians

India has the highest population in the world, which currently stands at around 1.43 billion, followed by China at 1.41 billion. Considering the Indian population, it is no surprise that it is the leading country with the highest rates of emigration. According to the UN, the total number of emigrants from India was around 78.26 million between 1990 and 2020. According to India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the total number of overseas Indians in the world is approximately 35.42 million, as of May 2024. This number includes a total of 15.85 million non-resident Indians and nearly 19.57 million people are of Indian origin.

Overseas Indians contribute around 3.5% to their GDP through remittances. Each year, overseas Indians send a large amount of capital back to their families in India. According to the World Bank, India received around $120 billion in total remittances in 2023, almost twice the $66 billion received by Mexico. The remittance flows to India soared by over 7.5% year over year, reflecting a positive demand for skilled and less-skilled workers in the GCC countries. The highest remittance in-flow to India was from the United Arab Emirates, accounting for almost 18% of total remittance in-flow, followed by the US. The majority of Indians in the United Arab Emirates are from the working class and send money back to their families each month. The United Arab Emirates is one of the best countries to work in and make the most money, and it is also one of the countries with zero income tax.

Indians have contributed massively to the global success in all major areas including science, food, and corporations. Around 24 executives of Indian-origin lead the Fortune 500 companies. Among the US Fortune 500 firms, the Indian-origin executives employ over 2.7 million Americans and generate more than $1 trillion in revenue, as per the local media outlet, Times of India. Apart from leading large firms and multinational corporations, Indian-Americans have a major presence in the startup world. Indian-Americans have co-founded 72 out of 648 US unicorns, valued at around $195 billion, and employing more than 55,000 people. In addition, Indian-Americans have small businesses in the US, with over 60% of all US hotels owned by Indians.

With Indians having a major presence in the US businesses, they also contribute immensely to the US tax base. Indian Americans contribute an estimated 5%-6% in all income taxes, which accounts for almost $250-$300 billion in revenue for the US government. Moreover, the Indian diaspora has contributed to the research, innovation, and academia in the US. Between 1975 and 2019, the US patents obtained by Indian Americans increased from almost 2% to 10%. With that said, let’s take a look at one of the top US companies led by an Indian-American executive.

Indians Leading the Race in Disruptive Innovation

Sundar Pichai, an Indian-born overseas American, is the CEO of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG). Pichai joined Google in 2004 and led the development of Google Toolbar and then Google Chrome, making it the world’s most popular internet browser. In 2014, Pichai became the lead of product and engineering for all of Google’s products and platforms, where his major achievements included the development of all the Google Apps. Under Pichai’s leadership, Google has invested in various new opportunities such as machine learning, quantum computing, and now AI. Google Cloud and YouTube have grown under Pichai, becoming two of the leading platforms in their segment. Google Cloud has the third largest market share after Microsoft and Amazon, making Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) the third biggest cloud provider by market share in 2024.

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) recently posted its earnings for the second quarter of 2024. The company surpassed EPS estimates by $0.05 and reported earnings of $1.89 per share, while the revenue was around $84.74 billion, ahead of estimates by $445.49 million. Alphabet Inc.’s revenue has grown by 13.6% year over year, thanks to major growth in Google Cloud. In Q2, Google Cloud revenue was reported at $10.35 billion, up by nearly 30% from a year ago. The Cloud revenue reached its all-time high after crossing the $10 billion mark for the first time. The highest source of revenue for Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) remains its ‘Search’ platform as it generated around $48.51 billion in revenue, up by 13.8% year over year. AI is making a major difference for the tech giant as the company improves its performance in Search, YouTube ads, Google Services, and other segments. Here is what Sundar Pichai said during the Q2 2024 earnings call:

“In Q2, Cloud reached some major milestones. Quarterly revenues crossed the $10 billion mark for the first time, at the same time pass the $1 billion mark in quarterly operating profit. Year-to-date, our AI infrastructure, and generative AI solutions for Cloud customers have already generated billions in revenues and are being used by more than 2 million developers. As I spoke about last quarter, we are uniquely well-positioned for the AI opportunity ahead.

Our AI product advances come from our long-standing foundation of research leadership, as well as our global network of infrastructure. In Q2, we announced our first data center and cloud region in Malaysia, and expansion projects in Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio. Our TPUs are a key bet here, too. Trillium is the sixth generation of our custom AI accelerator, and it’s our best performing and most energy efficient TPU to-date. It achieves a near 5 times increase in peak compute performance per chip and a 67% more energy efficient compared to TPU v5e. And the latest Nvidia Blackwell platform, will be coming to Google Cloud in early 2025.”

Considering the overall growth of the company, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) seems to be on the right track with AI development. The company is expected to earn $7.65 per share in 2024, up by almost 31% year over year. Compared to the 5-year average, GOOG is trading at a discount price of almost 14.77%, as of August 3.

At the moment, GOOG has an average price target of $205, which implies an upside of 22% from current levels. Out of 64 analysts, 78% are bullish on the stock and have a ‘Buy’ rating.

As Sundar Pichai leads Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) to new heights, it’s time to take a look at the 20 countries with highest Indian population in the world.

Our Methodology

To gather the list of countries with highest Indian population in the world, we compiled the data of overseas Indians from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Government of India. The data is updated as of May 2024. The countries with highest Indian population in the world are ranked in ascending order of population of overseas Indians.

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20 Countries with Highest Indian Population in the World

20. Fiji

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 316,081

Indians initially moved to Fiji as laborers to work in cane plantations. Fiji has around 2,283 non-resident Indians and 313,798 are persons of Indian origin. Fiji ranks 20th among the countries with the highest Indian population in the world.

19. Guyana

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 321,500

Just like in Fiji, the majority of Indians came to Guyana as laborers to replace Africans in plantation work. Today Indo-Guyanese work in plantation agriculture, and many of them are independent farmers and landowners.

18. Bahrain

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 327,807

Most of the overseas Indians in Bahrain are laborers and work in the construction sector. Around 323,908 non-resident Indians and 3,899 persons of Indian origin were living in Bahrain, as of May 2024. Bahrain ranks among the countries with the highest Indian population in the world.

17. Trinidad & Tobago

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 549,545

Overseas Indians in Trinidad & Tobago are mainly focused on the food industry. With a total overseas population of 549,545 Indians, Trinidad & Tobago ranks 17th among the countries with the highest Indian population in the world.

16. Singapore

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 650,000

Singapore has a small district named Little India with a vibrant culture including temples and mosques, street art, and brightly painted shophouses. Singapore has 350,000 non-resident Indians and 300,000 people of Indian origin.

15. Oman

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 686,635

Oman ranks 15th among the countries with the highest Indian population in the world. Oman has a mix of Indian population including unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled workers.

14. Nepal

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 700,004

Nepal is a neighboring country of India in the North. Nepal and India have an open border allowing easy access to people of both countries. Nepal has the 14th highest Indian population in the world.

13. Qatar

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 836,784

Qatar has around 836,784 overseas Indians which consist of a majority of 835,175 non-resident Indians and only 1,609 people of Indian origin.

12. Mauritius

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 894,848

Mauritius is the only African country with over 500,000 Indians. Back in the 1700s, Indians were brought to Mauritius as artisans and masons. Today there are around 894,848 overseas Indians living in Mauritius, ranking it 12th among the countries with the highest Indian population in the world.

11. Australia

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 976,000

Indians in Australia are associated with different sectors. Around 350,000 are non-resident Indians and 626,000 are those of Indian origin.

10. Kuwait

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 995,528

Kuwait has around 995,528 Indians with a mix of unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled workers. Kuwait ranks 10th among the countries with the highest Indian population in the world.

9. Sri Lanka

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 1,607,500

Sri Lanka has only 7,500 non-resident Indians and the majority of Indians in the island country have South Indian origin. There are around 1.6 million Indian people living in Sri Lanka.

8. South Africa

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 1,700,000

South Africa has 60,000 non-resident Indians and a majority of 1.64 million people of Indian origin live in South Africa. With a total Indian population of 1.7 million, South Africa is one of the countries with the highest Indian population in the world.

7. United Kingdom

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 1,864,318

The United Kingdom has one of the largest communities of Indians across the nation. Just under 1.9 million people live in the United Kingdom, which is one of the highest Indian population living overseas.

6. Myanmar

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 2,002,660

Myanmar has an Indian population of just over 2 million and has the 6th highest Indian population in the world. There are around 2,660 non-resident Indians and almost 2 million individuals of Indian origin living in Myanmar.

5. Saudi Arabia

Population of Overseas Indians (2024): 2,463,509

The growing economy of Saudi Arabia is attracting skilled labor and a huge number of Indian people have moved for job purposes. With an Indian population of just under 2.5 million, Saudi Arabia ranks fifth among the countries with the highest Indian population in the world.