Synopsis
This diversification has reduced dependence on any single region and enhanced financial resilience.This diversification has reduced dependence on any single region and enhanced financial resilience.
“India’s diaspora sends home $138 billion annually, more than FDI inflows,” San Francisco-based Rajan Navani, a board member at Indiaspora, told ET. Indiaspora is a non-profit organisation of global executives of Indian origin.
According to a March 2026 Indiaspora report, remittance inflows to India have nearly doubled over the past decade and now finance almost half of the country’s merchandise trade deficit.
About $13,000 is remitted to India every three seconds by its diaspora. “The 35-million Indian diaspora generates over $700 billion in income globally,” Navani said.
Beyond macroeconomic benefits, remittances play a key role at the household level. In states such as Kerala, which receives about 20% of India’s total remittances despite having just 3% of the population, these funds are channelled into housing upgrades, loan repayments and education.
More than 70% of diaspora respondents expect transfers to India to increase or remain stable over the next two years.
More than 75% of overseas angel investors backing Indian startups are of Indian origin. Indian-origin leaders hold decision-making roles in over half of the world’s largest foundations, collectively directing more than $500 million annually to Indian non-profits.
One in 10 physicians in the US is of Indian origin. Indian-origin professionals are also increasingly leading major medical and pharmaceutical institutions, including the American Medical Association, the UK’s Royal College of Physicians, and global firms such as Novartis and Vertex.
