India Remains the World's Largest Source of Skilled Emigrants in 2026

With over 18.5 million people of Indian origin living abroad, India's diaspora is now concentrated as much in the Gulf as in the traditional US and UK destinations.

A Diaspora That Has Tripled Since 1990

Between 1990 and 2024, the number of Indian emigrants nearly tripled, growing from 6.5 million to over 18.5 million people, according to data compiled from United Nations migration statistics. India's share of global out-migrants has climbed from 4 percent to 6 percent over the same period, cementing its position as the world's largest source of international migrants.

The Gulf, Not the West, Hosts Half of All Indian Migrants

Contrary to the popular image of Indian emigration centered on the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, nearly half of all Indian migrants currently live in Gulf Cooperation Council countries -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. As of 2024, the UAE and the USA are tied as the top individual destinations, each hosting roughly 17 percent of Indian emigrants abroad. Indians now make up nearly 40 percent of the UAE's population and a quarter of Saudi Arabia's and Kuwait's populations.

North America and Europe Are Growing, But From a Smaller Base

Roughly one-quarter of Indian emigrants now live in North America, a share that has grown steadily over time, alongside rising migration to Australia and New Zealand. Indians are the largest migrant group in Canada and the second-largest immigrant group in the United States, after Mexicans. Migration to Europe has grown in absolute numbers as well, though its overall share of total Indian emigration has declined relative to the faster-growing Gulf and North American populations.

A Notable Shift by Gender

Migration patterns differ significantly by gender: men primarily migrate to GCC countries for work, while women are more likely to move to the United States, where nearly one-quarter of Indian migrant women now live. In the USA and UK specifically, the number of Indian-origin men and women is now nearly equal, a contrast to the heavily male-skewed pattern seen in Gulf migration.

What This Means Going Forward

With demographic pressures, upward mobility, and deepening global economic ties all still in play, migration from India is expected to remain robust across both the Gulf and Western pathways, rather than concentrating in any single region or migration model.