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Indians in Ireland
India has the largest diaspora in the world and as per the Ministry of External Affairs, there are 3.2 Crores or 32 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) residing outside India.
As per the Ministry of External Affairs 2018 report, there are 40,000 (40 thousand) Indians residing in Ireland
- Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) – 25,000
- Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) – 15,000
read about the Population of Overseas Indians
Source: MEA report about overseas Indian population.
India-Ireland interactions date back to the 19th Century when a significant number of Irishmen joined the British Civil Service, medical, engineering, and army services. During this period, Irish missionaries and educationists also spread out into all regions of India. Indian Expats have recently immigrated especially information technology professionals.
Indians make up around 1% of Ireland’s population and approx population of Indians in Ireland as of 2024 is 62,000 (62 thousand). The Irish-India Council estimates that there are approximately 91,520 Indian-born people in Ireland.
As per the Indian Embadssy in Ireland, There are approx. 61386 Indian-origin persons in Ireland, of whom approx. 31,386 are PIOs and approx. 30,000 are NRIs. The bulk of the community is in health-care, IT, engineering and senior management positions. The community is well-regarded locally and has integrated well into Irish society. Former Irish PM and current DPM, Leo Varadkar (44 years) has Indian ancestry (father is Indian, mother is Irish).
Regions with significant Asian populations
As the Irish government does not collect detailed data on ethnicity in Ireland, population estimates vary, and non-Chinese Asian people are generally grouped in one category rather than groups based on people from individual South Asian countries. Estimates say that people of South Asian ethnicity make up around 1 to 3% of Ireland’s population.
- Dublin (and suburbs) – 33,225
- Cork City and suburbs – 3,240
- Limerick City – 1,734
- Galway City – 1,590
- Ballyhaunis – 478
- Waterford City – 846
- Letterkenny – 600
- Sligo (and suburbs) – 590
- Athlone – 525
- Kilkenny City – 506
Indian Students in Ireland
Ireland has become a significant destination for Indian students seeking higher education, particularly post-graduate, doctoral, and post-doctoral students in the areas of engineering, technology, medicine, and management. There are about 5,000 Indian students in Irish higher educational institutions. Many of Ireland’s major third-level institutions, most notably Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin City University, Dublin Institute of Technology, National University of Ireland, Galway, and National College of Ireland have a substantial number of students of South Asian descent. The Irish government wants to double the number of overseas students in Irish universities and has shortlisted India as one of the key areas for bringing in foreign students.
Religion of Indian population in Ireland
Hinduism is the main religion followed by people of Indian origin in Ireland. Sikhs and Christians also have sizable numbers. Among the Indian immigrants in India, the majority belong to Hinduism, followed by a small number of Sikhs, Jains, Christians, and Muslims.
also read about religion in Ireland