2.5 million Indians living in Saudi Arabia: MEA

Hyderabad: According to recent data by the ministry of external affairs, Saudi Arabia houses more than two million Indians, the largest number of Indians living abroad among the 203 countries listed by the ministry. In a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, minister of state for external affairs, V. Muraleedharan, said around 13.6 million Indians were living abroad.

Apart from Saudi Arabia, other oil-rich countries topped the list of countries with the most number of Indians. Behind Saudi Arabia was Kuwait with an Indian population of 10,29,861. Oman and Qatar each have more than seven lakh Indians, followed by Nepal with six lakh. Bahrain and Singapore are home to more than three lakh Indians, followed by Malaysia, where more than two lakh Indians reside.

Among the European countries, Italy has the largest number of Indians with 1, 72,301 Indians residing there, while Germany hosts 1, 08,965 Indians. Canada is also one of the most preferred countries with 1, 78,410 Indians living there.

Meanwhile, five countries, Holy See, San Marino, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Pakistan have reported no Indian population.

Countries with least number of Indians

Nicaragua, located in Central America which shares its border with Hudson and Costa Rica, has only one Indian currently residing there. Cook Island and Liechtenstein each have five Indians living there, while Croatia has 10.