Revealing Now: India Source Of The Majority Of Migrants

08/31/2024 Selvan Durairaj

The GCC nations and the United States have emerged as significant emigration centres, while India continues to be the host and source of the majority of Hindu migrants: Study

The research also illuminates the migration patterns of other religious groups in India, emphasising that the nation is a prime example of a situation in which migrants are disproportionately drawn from religious minorities.

According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Centre, a US-based think organisation, India is the primary source of Hindu migrants, with 7.6 million Hindus born in the country currently residing abroad. The report also observed that India is the second-most prevalent country of origin for Muslim migrants, with six million Muslims residing abroad.

The most recent report from Pew Research, “Religious Composition of the World’s Migrants,” emphasises the significant trends and changes in the global migration patterns of Hindus, as well as other religions.

Hindus constitute 5% of all international migrants, with a total of 13 million as of 2020. Pew’s study suggests that this percentage is significantly lower than their 15% portion of the global population, which suggests that they are under-represented among global migrants.

The study also discovered that Hindu migrants travel substantially longer distances than other groups, with an average of 3,100 miles from their country of origin. This figure is significantly higher than the global average of 2,200 miles.

Although the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) was previously the primary destination, Hindu migrant populations have experienced substantial growth in the Middle East, North Africa, and North America.

The report implies that Hindus are significantly more likely to have emigrated from Bangladesh and Pakistan than they are from India or Nepal.

“Hindus constitute a small minority of the total population in Pakistan (2%) and Bangladesh (8%); however, they constitute 21% and 8% of international migrants from those countries, respectively.” Conversely, Hindus constitute substantial majorities in India (79% and 81%) and Nepal (81%), respectively, yet they constitute only 41% and 56% of migrants departing those countries, according to the source.

Migration that is disproportional to other religions

In contrast to other groups, Hindus are less likely to emigrate, despite being the majority religion in India. In 2020, Hindus comprised only 41% of Indians who relocated abroad.

In comparison to their demographic weight in India, this percentage is considerably lower than the Hindu share of the country’s population, suggesting that Hindus have a lower propensity to migrate internationally.

In contrast, Muslims and Christians exhibit greater migration rates.

According to the research, Muslims comprised 33% of the Indians who emigrated in 2020, while Christians comprised 16%. These figures are higher than their respective proportions of the overall Indian population (Muslims 14.2% and Christians 2.3% based on the 2011 Census), indicating a greater propensity for these communities to pursue opportunities outside ofIndia.

The research emphasised that Muslims are considerably more inclined to emigrate than the Hindu majority in India. The majority of these Muslim expatriates establish themselves in Muslim-majority countries that offer employment opportunities, such as the UAE (1.8 million), Saudi Arabia (1.3 million), and Oman (720,000).

Migration of Hindus to India

The report emphasises that Hindus account for 61% of the migrant population in India. This figure is significantly elevated, as it is indicative of the Hindu majority that constitutes approximately 79% of India’s total population.

The country’s status as a significant destination for Hindu migrants is emphasised by the high percentage of Hindu migrants in India, which is primarily attributable to historical events such as the partition and subsequent regional shifts.

Origin and Primary Destinations

The majority of these migrants, specifically 7.6 million individuals, are from APAC, with India being the largest source of Hindu migrants, according to Pew Research.

Bangladesh is the second-largest source, contributing 1.6 million Hindu migrants, while Nepal is the third-largest source, with 1.5 million. Approximately 940,000 Hindu migrants are supplied by Pakistan.

India remains a significant centre in terms of destinations, hosting 22% of Hindu migrants, which is equivalent to 3 million individuals.

The study, which references the mass migrations that occurred in the aftermath of the 1947 partition and the 1971 Bangladesh independence war, observes that a significant number of Hindus from what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh migrated to India, while a significant number of Muslims from India relocated to Pakistan or Bangladesh.

“For decades after that, the number of Hindu migrants living in India remained high, though it has been declining recently as the generation of Hindus who moved during Partition gradually dies,” according to the investigation.

The United States is the second-largest destination for Hindu migrants, after India, with 2.6 million individuals residing there.

In addition, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are significant destinations for Hindu migrants. Although they are frequently temporary labourers, many of them renew their work permits on a regular basis.

Apart from India, Nepal and Bhutan are the only countries in which Hindus constitute the greatest group of migrants. Nevertheless, these nations have relatively small populations in general and are not among the most popular destinations for Hindu migrants.

Regional Distribution

The Asia-Pacific region continues to be the most significant destination for Hindu migrants, with 44% of them residing there, according to Pew Research.

This region is succeeded by the Middle East and North Africa, which are home to 24% of Hindu migrants. North America is the third-largest destination, hosting 22% of the Hindu expatriate population.

Conversely, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa have a negligible number of Hindu migrants, while Europe is home to approximately 8% of Hindu migrants.

Routes of Migration

The research emphasises numerous prominent migration routes for Hindus.

The most frequently travelled route is from India to the United States, with 1.8 million Hindus undertaking this journey. Nearly 1.6 million Hindus have migrated from Bangladesh to India, which is another significant route.

Furthermore, there is a significant influx of Hindus from India to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, where they comprise half or more of the workforce. Approximately 3 million Hindus reside in this region.

The substantial numbers of Hindu migrants and the extensive distances they travel in countries such as the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) indicate that economic opportunities, rather than crises or conflicts, are the primary factors driving Hindu migration.

Developments Since 1990

Since 1990, there has been a change in the migration patterns of Hindus.

As per the report, the global number of Hindu migrants increased from 9.1 million in 1990 to 13.5 million in 2020, a 48% increase. It is important to note that this growth rate is slower than the aggregate increase in global migrants, which increased by 83% during the same period.

The regional patterns have undergone a significant transition, with Hindu migrants residing in the APAC region decreasing from 80% in 1990 to less than half by 2020.

“The Asia-Pacific region was home to nearly eight out of ten Hindu immigrants in 1990.” By 2020, that percentage had decreased to less than half. This transformation is partially due to the fact that a significant number of migrants who relocated during the Partition had passed away by 2020. Three decades prior, approximately four million Hindus who were born in Pakistan or Bangladesh were residing in India. The study suggested that the number had approximately decreased by half by 2020, to 2.1 million.

In contrast, the number of Hindu migrants in the Middle East-North Africa region has increased from 0.7 million to 3.3 million as a result of the movement of numerous emigrants to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in search of employment.

Qatar experienced the highest number of Hindu migrants among the GCC nations, increasing from 1,000 in 1990 to 290,000 in 2020. Conversely, the UAE experienced the most significant increase in Hindu migrants, increasing from 140,000 to 1.1 million during this period.

Concurrently, the number of Indian-born Hindus residing in the United States increased from 0.8 million to 3.0 million during this period.

Similarly, the number of Hindu migrants in Malaysia has increased by 15 times, from 30,000 to 470,000, primarily due to the arrival of migrant workers from Nepal in pursuit of employment. As of 2020, Malaysia was the seventh-largest destination for Hindu migrants.