Overseas South Asian Population
South Asians have the largest diaspora in the world with an estimated 44 million people living outside South Asia. The South Asian diaspora is estimated about 2% of the South Asian population, with 18 million Indians comprising the lion’s share followed by Bangladeshi (7.4 million) and Pakistani (6.32 million).
Source: UN report on International migrant stock at mid-year 2020
South Asian ethnic groups are an ethnolinguistic grouping of the diverse populations of South Asia, including the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. While Afghanistan is variously considered to be part of both South Asia and Central Asia, Afghans are generally not included among South Asian ethnic groups.
Nearly 43.4 million people from the sub-region live outside their country of origin, making it the sub-region with the highest number of emigrants globally.
Let’s look at the estimated number of people from South Asian countries as per the 2020 UN report on International Migrants.
| # | Southern Asia Countries | Emigrants as per UN* | Diaspora Population (est) |
| 1 | India | 17,869,492 | 32 million |
| 2 | Bangladesh | 7,401,763 | 13 million |
| 3 | Pakistan | 6,328,400 | 9 million |
| 4 | Afghanistan | 5,853,838 | |
| 5 | Nepal | 2,599,701 | |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 1,960,025 | |
| 7 | Bhutan | 51,998 | |
| 8 | Maldives | 3,715 |
Source: UN report on International migrant stock at mid-year 2020
List of Regions by South Asians Population
Nearly 43.4 million people from the sub-region live outside their country of origin. Region-wise Gulf Countries are the number one destination for South Asian Diaspora followed by Northern America and European. South Eastern Countries, Australia, and Newzealand also have a good number of South Asian Diaspora.
| # | Sub Regions | Estimated Migrations |
| 1 | Gulf Countries | 18,979,129 |
| 2 | USA & Canada | 5,537,624 |
| 3 | Northern Europe | 2,355,410 |
| 4 | South-Eastern Asia | 1,733,636 |
| 5 | Western Europe | 1,301,495 |
| 6 | Australia and New Zealand | 1,235,711 |
| 7 | Southern Europe | 798,042 |
| 8 | Eastern Asia | 258,218 |
| 9 | African Nations | 141,295 |
| 10 | Eastern Europe | 54,996 |
| 11 | Latin America and the Caribbean | 30,096 |
Source: UN report on International migrant stock at mid-year 2020
List of Top Countries by South Asians Population
United States of America has the highest South Asian Population followed by UAE and Saudia Arabia. Let’s look at top Nations with a South Asian population
| # | Country | Estimated Population |
| 1 | United States | |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | |
| 4 | Malaysia | |
| 5 | Myanmar | |
| 6 | United kingdom | |
| 7 | Canada | |
| 8 | South Africa | |
| 9 | Kuwait | |
| 10 | Oman | |
| 11 | Qatar | |
| 12 | Singapore | |
| 13 | Caribbean | |
| 14 | Australia | |
| 15 | New Zealand | |
| 16 | Netherlands | |
| 17 | Italy | |
| 18 | Germany | |
| 19 | France | |
| 20 | Spain |