Indian expatriate community is the largest ethnic community in UAE constituting roughly 30-40% of the country’s population. The number of resident Indian Nationals is estimated to be 3.5 million in 2021 as per UAE records.

Expatriates form the majority of UAE and there are people from more than 200 nationalities living and working in the country. Currently, the Indian population in UAE is the highest with 3.5 million, followed by Pakistanis with 1.27 million. The UAE has around 0.75 million Bangladeshi nationals, 0.56 million Filipinos, and 0.48 million Iranians. There are also people from Egypt, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, and the rest of the world.

Most Indian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates reside in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Indians form the largest expatriate groups in the country, constituting 38% of the total population of the United Arab Emirates. . Approx. 20% of the diaspora is in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the rest is in 6 Northern Emirates including Dubai.

As per MEA Over 34.25 Lakhs of Indian ex-pats are estimated to be living in the UAE.

Indian Community in UAE

Among the Indian States, Kerala is the most represented followed by Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. However, Indians from the Northern States, all put together, also form a significant portion of the UAE Indian population. The breakup of Indians from different States prepared on the basis of data of remittances sent to India is as follows:

1. Kerala – 50% 
2. Tamil Nadu – 15% 
3. Andhra Pradesh – 10% 
4. Punjab – 8% 
5. Others (incl. Rajasthan, UP, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa) – 12% 

The break-up of Indian emigrants in UAE

The profile of the community has changed with the evolving needs of the country: in the 1970s and 1980s, when the principal requirement here was for blue – collar workers, the Indian community was blue – collar to the extent of 85-90 per cent, with a negligible percentage of professionals. In the 1990s, as the need for professionals to meet the need of the expanding service sector emerged, the profile of the community changed, and today, around 35 per cent of the Indian community is made up of professionally qualified personnel, businessmen & other white collar non-professionals and their families.

• 65% belong to the blue-collar category (employed mostly in construction companies, municipalities, and agricultural farms)
• 20% belong to the white-collar non-professional (clerical staff, shop assistants, salesmen, accountants, etc…) and
• 5% are professionals and businessmen and their family members.