Highest NRIs in Saudi, none in Pakistan,North Korea,Bhutan
9 October, 2009

 

Just two in Lebanon to almost a million in the US, the ministry of overseas Indian affairs has registered the presence of non-resident Indians (NRIs) in 180 out of the 183 countries of the world.

The largest number of NRIs are in Saudi Arabia (17 lakh) followed by the United Arab Emirates (14 lakh), the US (9 lakh), UK(7 lakh), Kuwait(5.8 lakh), Oman(5.5 lakh) but what is more fascinating is they can also be found—albeit in minuscule numbers—in Slovenia (10), Montserrat (10), Iceland (21), Bosnia and Herzegovina (30) and Burkina Faso (150). In Republic of Palau which is one of the world’s youngest sovereign states, there are five NRIs. 20 NRIs are living in the mountains of Bolivia or a 375-strong Indian community living in tiny Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.

Interestingly, it is only in North Korea, Pakistan and Bhutan that not a single NRI is to be found.