As of 2024, over 35 million Indians were living across the world. Of this population, over 15 million were non-resident Indians (NRIs) and the rest were persons of Indian origin (PIO). Indians form the largest diaspora in the world.
Non-Resident Indians
An NRI is an Indian citizen living abroad indefinitely for employment, education, business, or other reasons. If an individual spends less than 182 days in a financial year in India, they qualify as an NRI. NRIs can vote in India if they are physically present in their constituency during the voting period. However, NRIs are subject to different tax and investment regulations than Indian citizens.
Persons of Indian Origin
Persons of Indian origin refer to people who at some point held Indian citizenship or have Indian ancestry, with some exceptions. The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is granted as a lifelong and multipurpose visa to people of Indian origin. It does not confer political rights, but those with this visa enjoy parity with NRIs in economic, financial, and educational benefits such as the acquisition of property (with exceptions), admission to educational institutions, and eligibility for certain housing schemes.
Number of overseas Indians in across the world as of June 2024, by type
(in 1,000s)
Adjust the presentation of the statistic and data points.
Share the statistic on social media channels or embed the statistic in your
website using "Embed Code", where available.
Cite this statistic and select one of the following formats: APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA & Bluebook.
Print the statistic including description and metadata.
Chart type
Number of overseas Indians in across the world as of June 2024, by type
Share this statistic
You have no right to use this feature.
Make sure to contact us if you are interested in scientific citation.
You can upgrade your account to enable this functionality for all statistics.
This feature is not available with your current account.Request access
A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) means that a foreign citizen except a national of Afghanistan, China, Nepal Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Iran, and Sri Lanka who once held a passport of India. PIO may also apply in other cases such as spouses of Indian citizens, Indian grandparents, etc.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Ministry of External Affairs. (June 24, 2024). Number of overseas Indians in across the world as of June 2024, by type (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 27, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1475343/india-number-of-overseas-indians-by-type/
Ministry of External Affairs. "Number of overseas Indians in across the world as of June 2024, by type (in 1,000s)." Chart. June 24, 2024. Statista. Accessed April 27, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1475343/india-number-of-overseas-indians-by-type/
Ministry of External Affairs. (2024). Number of overseas Indians in across the world as of June 2024, by type (in 1,000s). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: April 27, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1475343/india-number-of-overseas-indians-by-type/
Ministry of External Affairs. "Number of Overseas Indians in across The World as of June 2024, by Type (in 1,000s)." Statista, Statista Inc., 24 Jun 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1475343/india-number-of-overseas-indians-by-type/
Ministry of External Affairs, Number of overseas Indians in across the world as of June 2024, by type (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1475343/india-number-of-overseas-indians-by-type/ (last visited April 27, 2025)
Number of overseas Indians in across the world as of June 2024, by type (in 1,000s) [Graph], Ministry of External Affairs, June 24, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1475343/india-number-of-overseas-indians-by-type/
Profit from additional features with an Employee Account
Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites.
Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
