Diaspora

Overseas Chinese

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Overseas Chinese

Lee Kuan-Yew Lee Hsien-Loong Thaksin Shinawatra       Abhisit Vejjajiva Steven Chu Penny Wong       Michelle Yeoh Gary Locke Elaine Chao

Total population

40,000,000 (estimates)

Regions with significant populations

Majority population      Singapore 3,610,400 [9]  Christmas Island Minority populations 981 [10]  Malaysia 7,150,000 [11]  Thailand 7,053,240 [12]  Indonesia 7,000,000 [13]  United States 3,796,000 [14]  Canada 1,318,000 [15]  Vietnam 1,309,000 [16]  Peru 1,300,000 [17]  Philippines 1,170,000 [18]  Burma 1,121,000 [19]  Cambodia 858,459 [20]  South Korea 696,861 [21]  Australia 669,896 [22]  Japan 655,377 [23]  Russia 500,000 [24]  United Kingdom 400,000 [25]  South Africa 350,000 [26]  Argentina 320,000 [27]  France 233,000 [28]  India 196,000 [29]  Laos 190,000 [30]  United Arab Emirates 180,000 [31]  Brazil 156,000 [32]  New Zealand 147,570 [33]  Italy 144,885 [34]  Panama 135,000 [35]  Spain 134,022 [36]  Cuba 114,242 [37]  Netherlands 110,000 [38]  Germany 109,000 [39]

Languages

Languages of China and various languages of the countries they inhabit

Religion

Predominantly Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism with Confucianism. Significant Christian, small other religious minorities. view talk edit

Related ethnic groups

Chinese people

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Overseas Chinese (traditional Chinese: 海外華人; simplified Chinese: 海外华人; pinyin: Hǎiwài Huárén) are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area (China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan). People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese.

The term “Overseas Chinese” can refer narrowly to those of Han Chinese ethnicity, or more broadly, to all 56 recognized ethnic groups in China; Chinese people in the sense of Zhonghua minzu. For example, members of the Tibetan diaspora may travel to China on passes granted to certain Overseas Chinese.^[1] In Southeast Asia and particularly in Malaysia and Singapore, the state classifies the Peranakan as Chinese despite partial assimilation into Malay culture.^{[citation needed]}

One study on overseas Chinese defines several criteria for identifying non-Han overseas Chinese: there is evidence of descent from groups living within or originating from China, they still retain their culture, self-identify with Chinese culture or acknowledge Chinese origin, although they are not categorized as ethnic Han Chinese. Under this definition, “ethnic minority” overseas Chinese number about 7 million, or about 8.4% of the total overseas population.^{[citation needed]}

Contents [hide]  1 Terminology 2 History 2.1 Waves of immigration 2.2 Occupations 3 Overseas Chinese experience 3.1 Discrimination 3.2 Assimilation 4 Language 4.1 Southeast Asia 4.1.1 Singapore 4.1.2 Malaysia 4.1.3 Indonesia 4.1.4 Thailand 4.1.5 Vietnam 4.1.6 Cambodia 4.1.7 Laos 4.1.8 Myanmar 4.1.9 Brunei 4.1.10 Philippines 4.2 North America 5 Relationship with China 6 Current numbers 7 Statistics 8 Returning 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 Further reading 13 External links

[edit] Terminology

The Chinese language has various terms equivalent to the English “Overseas Chinese” which refers to Chinese citizens residing in countries other than China: Huáqiáo (simplified Chinese: 华侨; traditional Chinese: 華僑; pinyin: Huáqiáo) or Hoan-kheh in Hokkien (Chinese: 番客) .

Huáyì (simplified Chinese: 华裔; traditional Chinese: 華裔; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hôa-è) refers to ethnic Chinese residing outside of China. [40] Another often-used term is 海外华人 (Hǎiwài Huárén), a more literal translation of Overseas Chinese; it is often used by the PRC government to refer to people of Chinese ethnicities who live outside the PRC, regardless of citizenship.

Overseas Chinese who are ethnically Han Chinese, such as Cantonese, Hokkien, or Hakka refer to Overseas Chinese as 唐人 (Tángrén), pronounced tòhng yàn in Cantonese, Tn̂g-lâng in Hokkien, and tong nyin in Hakka. Literally, it means Tang people, a reference to Tang dynasty China when it was ruling China proper. It should be noted that this term is commonly used by the Cantonese, Hakka and Hokkien as a colloquial reference to the Chinese people, and has little relevance to the ancient dynasty.

[edit] History

Main article: Chinese emigration

The Chinese people have a long history of migrating overseas. One of the migrations dates back to the Ming dynasty when Zheng He (1371–1435) became the envoy of Ming. He sent people – many of them Cantonese and Hokkien – to explore and trade in the South China Sea and in the Indian Ocean.

[edit] Waves of immigration

Different waves of immigration led to subgroups among overseas Chinese such as the new and old immigrants in Southeast Asia, North America, Oceania, the Caribbean, Latin America, South Africa and Russia.

In the 19th century, the age of colonialism was at its height and the great Chinese Diaspora began. Many colonies lacked a large pool of laborers. Meanwhile, in the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong in China, there was a surge in emigration as a result of the poverty and ruin caused by the Taiping rebellion.^[2] The Qing Empire was forced to allow its subjects to work overseas under colonial powers. Many Hokkien chose to work in Southeast Asia (where they had earlier links starting from the Ming era), as did the Cantonese. The city of Taishan in Guangdong province was the source for many of the economic migrants. For the countries in North America and Australasia, great numbers of laborers were needed in the dangerous tasks of gold mining and railway construction. Widespread famine in Guangdong impelled many Cantonese to work in these countries to improve the living conditions of their relatives. Some overseas Chinese were sold^{[by whom?]} to South America during the Punti-Hakka Clan Wars (1855–1867) in the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong. After World War II many people from the New Territories in Hong Kong emigrated to the UK (mainly England) and to the Netherlands to earn a better living.

From the mid-19th century onward, emigration has been directed primarily to Western countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and the nations of Western Europe; as well as to Peru where they are called tusán, Panama, and to a lesser extent to Mexico. Many of these emigrants who entered Western countries were themselves overseas Chinese or were from Taiwan or Hong Kong, particularly from the 1950s to the 1980s, a period during which the PRC placed severe restrictions on the movement of its citizens. In 1984, Britain agreed to transfer the sovereignty of Hong Kong to the PRC; this triggered another wave of migration to the United Kingdom (mainly England), Australia, Canada, USA, Latin America and other parts of the world. The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 further accelerated the migration. The wave calmed after Hong Kong’s transfer of sovereignty in 1997. In addition, many citizens of Hong Kong hold citizenships or have current visas in other countries so if the need arises, they can leave Hong Kong at short notice. In fact, after the Tiananmen Square incident, the lines for immigration visas increased at every consulate in Hong Kong. More recent Chinese presences have developed in Europe, where they number nearly a million, and in Russia, they number over 600,000, concentrated in Russian Far East. Chinese who emigrated to Vietnam beginning in the 18th century are referred to as Hoa.

It is estimated that only 26,700 of the old Chinese community now remain in South Korea.^[3] However, in recent years^[when?], immigration from mainland China has increased; 624,994 persons of Chinese nationality have immigrated to South Korea, including 443,566 of ethnic Korean descent.^[4]

In recent years, the People’s Republic of China has built increasingly stronger ties with African nations. As of August 2007, there were an estimated 750,000 Chinese nationals working or living for extended periods in different African countries.^[5] An estimated 200,000 ethnic Chinese live in South Africa.^[6] In a 2007 New York Times article, Chad Chamber of Commerce Director estimated an “influx of at least 40,000 Chinese in coming years” to Chad. As of 2006^[update] as many as 40,000 Chinese lived in Namibia,^[7] an estimated 80,000 Chinese in Zambia^[8] and 50,000 Chinese in Nigeria.^[9] As many as 100,000 Chinese live and work across Angola.^[10] As of 2009^[update] 35,000 Chinese migrant workers lived in Algeria.^[11]

Russia’s main Pacific port and naval base of Vladivostok, once closed to foreigners, as of 2010^[update] bristles with Chinese markets, restaurants and trade houses.^[12] Experts predict that the Chinese diaspora in Russia will increase to at least 10 million by 2010 and Chinese may become the dominant ethnic group in the Russian Far East region 20 to 30 years from now.^[13][14][15] Other experts discount such stories estimating the numbers of Chinese in Russia at less than half a million, most of whom are temporary traders.^[16]

A growing Chinese community in Germany consists of around 76,000 people as of 2010^[update].^[17] An estimated 15,000 to 30,000 Chinese live in Austria,^[18] including a significant Chinese community in Vienna.

[edit] Occupations

The Chinese in Southeast Asian countries have established themselves in commerce and finance.^[19] In North America, Europe and Oceania, occupations are diverse and impossible to generalize; ranging from catering to significant ranks in medicine, the arts, and academia.

[edit] Overseas Chinese experience

The Chinese usually identify a person by ethnic origin instead of nationality. As long as the person is of Chinese descent, that person is considered Chinese, and if that person lives outside of China, that person is overseas Chinese. The majority of PRC Chinese do not understand the overseas Chinese experience of being a minority^{[citation needed]}, as ethnic Han Chinese comprise approximately 92% of the population.

[edit] Discrimination

See also: Sinophobia

Overseas Chinese have sometimes experienced hostility and discrimination.

In countries with small Chinese minorities, the economic disparity can be remarkable. For example, in 1998, ethnic Chinese made up just 1% of the population of the Philippines and 3% of the population in Indonesia, but controlled 40% of the Philippines private economy and 70% of the Indonesian private economy.^[20] The book World on Fire, describing the Chinese as a “market-dominant minority“, notes that “Chinese market dominance and intense resentment amongst the indigenous majority is characteristic of virtually every country in Southeast Asia except Thailand and Singapore”.^[21]

This asymmetrical economic position has incited anti-Chinese sentiment among the poorer majorities. Sometimes the anti-Chinese attitudes turn violent, such as the May 13 Incident in Malaysia in 1969 and the Jakarta riots of May 1998 in Indonesia, in which more than 2,000 people died, mostly rioters burned to death in a shopping mall.^[22] During the colonial era, some genocides killed ten thousands of Chinese.^{[23][24][25][26][27]}

During the Indonesian killings of 1965–66, in which more than 500,000 people died,^[28] ethnic Chinese were killed and their properties looted and burned as a result of anti-Chinese racism on the excuse that Dipa “Amat” Aidit had brought the PKI closer to China.^[29][30] The anti-Chinese legislation was in the Indonesian constitution until 1998.

A major point of friction is the apparent tendency of overseas Chinese to segregate themselves into a subculture.^{[citation needed]} For example, the anti-Chinese Kuala Lumpur Racial Riots of 13 May 1969 and Jakarta Riots of May 1998 were believed to have been motivated by these racially-biased perceptions.^[31] In 2006, rioters damaged shops owned by Chinese-Tongans in Nukuʻalofa.^[32] Chinese migrants were evacuated from the riot-torn Solomon Islands.^[33]

Ethnic politics can be found to motivate both sides of the debate. In Malaysia, Overseas Chinese tend to support equal and meritocratic treatment on the expectation that they would not be discriminated against in the resulting competition for government contracts, university places, etc., whereas many “Bumiputra” (“native sons”) Malays oppose this on the grounds that their group needs such protections in order to retain their patrimony. These are carried out through affirmative actions. The question of to what extent ethnic Malays, Chinese, or others are “native” to Malaysia is a sensitive political one. It is currently a taboo for Chinese politicians to raise the issue of Bumiputra protections in parliament, as this would be deemed ethnic incitement.^[34]

Many of the overseas Chinese who worked on railways in North America in the 19th century suffered from racial discrimination in Canada and the United States. Although discriminatory laws have been repealed or are no longer enforced today, both countries had at one time introduced statutes that barred Chinese from entering the country, for example the United States Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (repealed 1943) or the Canadian Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 (repealed 1947).

[edit] Assimilation

Hakka people in a wedding in East Timor, 2006

Overseas Chinese vary widely as to their degree of assimilation, their interactions with the surrounding communities (see Chinatown), and their relationship with China. Thailand has the largest overseas Chinese community and is also the most successful case of full assimilation. For over 400 years, Thai-Chinese have largely intermarried and assimilated with their compatriots. The present Thai monarch, Chakri Dynasty, is founded by King Rama I who himself is partly Chinese. His Predecessor, King Taksin of Thonburi dynastry, is the son of Chinese immigrant from Guangdong Province and is born with Chinese name. In Myanmar, the Chinese rarely intermarry (even amongst different Chinese linguistic groups), but have largely adopted the Burmese culture whilst maintaining Chinese culture affinities. Between 1965 to 1993, the affairs of state once were prevent to those with Chinese name, yielded the number of people switched to the local term instead in Cambodia. Indonesia, and Myanmar were among the countries that do not allow birth names to be registered in foreign languages, including Chinese. But since 2003, the Indonesian government has allowed overseas Chinese to use their Chinese name or using their Chinese family name on their birth certificate. In Vietnam, Chinese names are pronounced with Sino-Vietnamese readings. For example, the name of the Chinese president, 胡锦涛 (pinyin: Hú Jǐntāo), would be transcribed as “Hồ Cẩm Đào”. In Western countries, the overseas Chinese generally use romanised versions of their Chinese names, and the use of local first names is also common.

On the other hand, in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, overseas Chinese have maintained a distinct communal identity, though the rate and state of being assimilated to the local, in this case a multicultural society, is currently on par with that of other Chinese communities (see Peranakan). In the Philippines many younger Overseas Chinese are well assimilated, whereas the older ones tend to be considered as ‘foreigners’. The Chinese have also brought a cultural influence to some other countries such as Vietnam, where many Chinese customs have been adopted by native Vietnamese.^[35]

[edit] Language

The usage of Chinese languages by overseas Chinese has been determined by a large number of factors, including their ancestry, their migrant ancestors’ “regime of origin”, assimilation through generational changes, and official policies of their country of residence. The general trend is – increase of Mandarin-speaking Chinese among the new arrivals, making it the most common language of chinatowns.^[36]

[edit] Southeast Asia

Within Southeast Asia, the language situation of overseas Chinese varies greatly even amongst neighboring nations.

[edit] Singapore

In Singapore, a nation with an ethnic Chinese majority population, Mandarin is recognized as one of its official languages, along with simplified Chinese characters, in contrast to other overseas Chinese communities which almost exclusively used traditional Chinese characters until the 1990s, when nationals of the PRC began to emigrate in substantial numbers and brought with them the simplified Chinese characters. Although ethnic Chinese in Singapore are predominantly of Hokkien descent, the government of Singapore discourages the usage of non-Mandarin Chinese languages through the Speak Mandarin Campaign. The official policy in Singapore also has an impact on neighboring Johor, in southern Peninsular Malaysia, where Mandarin is predominantly spoken among the Chinese communities there. As the Singapore government actively promotes English as the common language of the multiracial society of Singapore, younger Chinese Singaporeans are mostly bilingual in Mandarin and English.

[edit] Malaysia

Main article: Malaysian Chinese

Chinese Malaysians speak a wide variety of dialects and Mandarin, their prevalence being concentrated around particular metropolitan centres: the Penang, Klang, Kelantan and Malacca groups are predominantly Hokkien-speaking (Penang has its own version of Hokkien, Kelantan has its own version of Hokkien too); the Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, Kuantan and Ipoh groups are predominantly Cantonese and Hakka-speaking; whereas in East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo), Hakka and Mandarin are widely spoken, except in Sibu, where the Fuzhou dialect is predominant, and in Sandakan, where Cantonese is spoken. Regardless of location, however, younger generations tend to speak Mandarin, which is taught in schools. A significant number of Chinese are English-educated, who speak mainly English. Most Chinese Malaysians can speak Malay, the national language, and English, which is widely used in business.

[edit] Indonesia

Main article: Chinese Indonesians

Ethnic Chinese in Indonesia and Thailand had been subjected to official, and at times draconian, assimilation policies, and as a result many of them are no longer proficient in the Chinese language (particularly ethnic Chinese who lived in Java). Chinese who lived in Sumatra did not give up some of the dialects. Most of the ethnic Chinese in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, are still able to speak creole Hokkien within their community. This is due to the number of generations that have lived in Indonesia and their exposure to cultural assimilation. Most of the ethnic Chinese who live in Java have a long line (10 generations) of forefathers before them, where the ethnic Chinese who live in Sumatra have a relatively short generation of forefathers (4 or 5 generations). There is also a small population of Hakka Chinese in Indonesia, most notably in Bangka Belitung province, Pontianak and Singkawang where they form a significant part of the local population, while in the areas from Pontianak to Kendawangan on the southern tip of West Kalimantan are populated by Teochew speakers much like Bangkok, Thailand.^[37] As to their identity, Chinese Indonesians are more Indonesians compared to Chinese.

[edit] Thailand

Thailand is home to the largest and most integrated Overseas Chinese community. As already said above, the present Thai monarch, Chakri Dynasty, was founded by King Rama I, who himself was partly Chinese. His predecessor, King Taksin of Thonburi Dynasty, was the son of Chinese immigrants from Guangdong Province and was born with a Chinese name. The majority of Prime Ministers in Thailand are of Chinese descent. Most ethnic Chinese in Thailand live in cities such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hat Yai and Nakhon Sawan. A large majority of them belong to the Teochew dialect group of Han Chinese. A small number of Chinese people, mainly belonging to the Yunnanese dialect group, also live in the northern part of Thailand which is in close proximity to their homeland in Yunnan province of China. Charoen Pokphand Group, founded by Thai-Chinese Chearavanont family, is currenly the single largest foreign investors in China.^[38]

[edit] Vietnam

Main article: Hoa people

There is some controversy about the size of the Chinese minority in Vietnam: official figures tend to float around the 1 million figure (1.1% of total population), but outside sources tend to suggest a higher number. Not all Chinese (known as Hoa) are officially recognized by the government of Vietnam: the Hoa category excludes the San Diu (mountain Chinese) and the Ngai. A large number of Chinese people live in Saigon city and most of them today speak Cantonese, though there is also a large group who speak Teochew, tracing their ancestral homeland to the Guangdong province in China, from where their ancestors came around the eighteenth century.^[39]

[edit] Cambodia

Chinese are a visible ethnic group of Cambodia and constitute around 7% of the population.^[40] Chinese ethnics can be seen in all towns and many towns are exclusive to ethnic Chinese. Most Chinese Cambodians belong to the Hokkien and Teochew dialect groups. Many Khmer people are taught Mandarin in school along side many Sino-Khmers and ethnic Vietnamese people.^[41]

[edit] Laos

Laos is one of South-East Asia’s most ethnically diverse countries: a somewhat surprising situation given the relatively small size and population of around 6 million, but probably due to its location, mountainous terrain and tropical climate. There are also Chinese minorities in Laos, though their exact number is difficult to ascertain: Chinese presence goes back centuries, tending to be concentrated in the cities of Vientiane and Savannakhet.^[42]

[edit] Myanmar

Main article: Burmese Chinese

Although the Burmese Chinese (or Chinese Burmese) officially make up three percent of the population, the actual figure is believed to be much higher. Among the under-counted Chinese populations are: those of mixed background;^[43] those that have registered themselves as ethnic Bamar to escape discrimination; illegal Chinese immigrants that have flooded Upper Burma since the 1990s (up to 2 million by some estimates^[44]) but are not counted due to the lack of reliable census taking.^[45] The Burmese Chinese dominate the Burmese economy today.^[46] They also have a very large presence in Burmese higher education, and make up a high percentage of the educated class in Burma. Most Burmese Chinese speak Burmese as their mother tongue. Those with higher education also speak Mandarin and/or English. The use of Chinese dialects still prevails. Hokkien (a dialect of Min Nan) is mostly used in Yangon as well as in Lower Burma, while Taishanese (a Yue dialect akin to Cantonese) and Yunnanese Mandarin are well preserved in Upper Burma.

[edit] Brunei

A variety of Chinese dialects are spoken in Brunei. Mandarin and Hokkien are the most commonly spoken dialects in the country.

[edit] Philippines

The most widely spoken dialects are Hokkien (there is a native form of Hokkien called Lan-nang-oe) and Cantonese. Mandarin is taught at all Chinese schools, and in most Chinese schools, the traditional Chinese script is usually taught.

[edit] North America

Many overseas Chinese populations in North America speak some variety of Chinese. In the United States and Canada, Chinese is the third most spoken language.^[47][48] Cantonese has historically been the most prevalent variety due to immigrants being mostly from southern China from the 19th century up through the 1980s.^[48][49] However, Mandarin is becoming increasingly more prevalent due to the opening up of the PRC.^[49]

In New York City at least, although Mandarin is spoken as a native language among only ten percent of Chinese speakers, it is used as a secondary dialect among the greatest number of them and is on its way to replace Cantonese as their lingua franca.^[50] Although Min Chinese is spoken natively by a third of the Chinese population there, it is not used as a lingua franca because speakers of other dialect groups do not learn Min.^[50]

In Richmond (part of the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area in Canada), 44% of the population is Chinese.^[51] Chinese words can be seen everywhere from local banks to grocery stores. In the broader Vancouver Census Metropolitan Area, 18% of the population is Chinese. Similarly in Toronto, which is the largest city in Canada, Chinese people make up 11.4% of the local population with the percentages higher in the suburbs of Markham, Mississauga and within the city in its east end of Scarborough. In these regions Chinese people make up between 20-50% of their total populations respectively.^[52] Cantonese and Mandarin are the most popular Chinese languages.

China’s economical growth brings greater immigration opportunities to mainland Chinese. A 2011 survey shown that 60% of Chinese millionaires plan to immigrate,^[53] mostly to the USA or Canada. The EB-5 Investment Visa allows many powerful Chinese to seek for a USA citizenship, and recent reports show that 75% of applicants to this visa in 2011 were Chinese.^[54]

[edit] Relationship with China

Both the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China maintain highly complex relationships with overseas Chinese populations. Both maintain cabinet level ministries to deal with overseas Chinese affairs, and many local governments within the PRC have overseas Chinese bureaus. Both the PRC and ROC have some legislative representation for overseas Chinese. In the case of the PRC, some seats in the National People’s Congress are allocated for returned overseas Chinese. In the ROC’s Legislative Yuan, there used to be eight seats allocated for overseas Chinese. These seats were apportioned to the political parties based on their vote totals on Taiwan, and then the parties assigned the seats to overseas Chinese party loyalists. Now, political parties in the ROC are still allowed to assign overseas Chinese into the Legislative Yuan, but they are not required to. Most of these members elected to the Legislative Yuan hold dual citizenship, but must renounce their foreign citizenship before being sworn in.

Overseas Chinese have sometimes played an important role in Chinese politics. Most of the funding for the Chinese revolution of 1911 came from overseas Chinese.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the ROC tended to seek the support of overseas Chinese communities through branches of the Kuomintang based on Sun Yat-sen‘s use of expatriate Chinese communities to raise money for his revolution. During this period, the People’s Republic of China tended to view overseas Chinese with suspicion as possible capitalist infiltrators and tended to value relationships with southeast Asian nations as more important than gaining support of overseas Chinese, and in the Bandung declaration explicitly stated that overseas Chinese owed primary loyalty to their home nation. On the other hand, overseas Chinese in their home nations were often persecuted for suspected or fabricated ties to “Communist China”. This was used as a pretext for the massacres of ethnic Chinese in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries.

After the Deng Xiaoping reforms, the attitude of the PRC toward overseas Chinese changed dramatically. Rather than being seen with suspicion, they were seen as people which could aid PRC development via their skills and capital. During the 1980s, the PRC actively attempted to court the support of overseas Chinese by among other things, returning properties that were confiscated after the 1949 revolution. More recently PRC policy has attempted to maintain the support of recently emigrated Chinese, who consist largely of Chinese seeking graduate education in the West. Many overseas Chinese are now investing in mainland China providing financial resources, social and cultural networks, contacts and opportunities. However, some distrust between Chinese and overseas Chinese still remains.^[55]

According to Article 5 of the Nationality Law of the People’s Republic of China: “Any person born abroad whose parents are both Chinese nationals or one of whose parents is a Chinese national shall have Chinese nationality. But a person whose parents are both Chinese nationals and have both settled abroad, or one of whose parents is a Chinese national and has settled abroad, and who has acquired foreign nationality at birth shall not have Chinese nationality”.^[56] However the Nationality Law of the Republic of China, which permits dual citizenship, considers these persons to be citizens of the ROC.

[edit] Current numbers

There are over 40 million overseas Chinese,^[57] mostly living in Southeast Asia where they make up a majority of the population of Singapore and significant minority populations in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The overseas populations in those areas arrived between the 16th and 19th centuries mostly from the maritime provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, followed by Hainan. There were incidences of earlier emigration from the 15th centuries in particular to Malacca.^[58]

Urban areas with large Chinese populations include Bangkok with 2,900,000 (2009 census, registered resident only), Singapore with 2,800,000 (2010 census), Kuala Lumpur with 612,277 (2000 census, city only),^[59] Penang with 650,000 (2005), Jakarta with 528,300 (2010 census), New York City Metropolitan Area with 665,714 and the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Combined Statistical Area with 562,355 (2009),^[60] as well as the Greater Toronto Area with 486,300 (2006 Census, metropolitan area).^[61]

[edit] Statistics

Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Chinese population	Year of data
Africa		925,000+
South Africa	Chinese South Africans	350,000	2009[62]
Angola	Chinese people in Angola	100,000	2007[63][dubious – discuss]
Egypt	Chinese people in Egypt	100,000	2006[64]
Zambia	–	80,000	2006[8]
Madagascar	Chinese people in Madagascar	60,000	2007[65][66]
Nigeria	Chinese people in Nigeria	50,000	2008[67]
Ethiopia	Chinese people in Ethiopia	45,000	2010
Mauritius	Sino-Mauritian	30,000	2007[68]
Réunion	Chinois	25,000	1999[69]
Mozambique	Ethnic Chinese in Mozambique	12,000	2007[70]
Kenya	Chinese people in Kenya	10,000	2007[71]
Algeria	-	35,000	2009[11]
Tanzania	Chinese people in Tanzania	10,000	2008[72]
Ghana	Chinese people in Ghana	7,000	2008[73]
Botswana	Chinese people in Botswana	6,000	2009[74]
Cameroon	Chinese people in Cameroon	2,000	2008[75]
Senegal	Chinese people in Senegal	2,000	2008[76]
Seychelles	Sino-Seychellois	1,000	1999[77]
Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Chinese population	Year of data
Asia/Middle East		30,100,000+
Thailand	Thai Chinese	7,053,240	2005[78]
Malaysia	Malaysian Chinese, Peranakan	6,390,900	2010[79]
Indonesia	Chinese Indonesian/Tionghoa	7,000,000	2008[80]
Singapore	Chinese Singaporean	2,794,000	2010[81]
Vietnam	Hoa, Ngái, San Diu	1,200,000	2005[78]
Cambodia	Chinese Cambodian, Cambodian Hokkien	1,180,000	2008[40]
Philippines	Chinese Filipino, Tornatras, Sangley	1,100,000	2005[78]
Myanmar	Burmese Chinese, Panthay	1,100,000	2005[78]
South Korea	Chinese in South Korea	696,861	2010[82]
Japan	Chinese in Japan	655,377 1	2008[83]
Kazakhstan	Chinese in Kazakhstan	300,000	2009
India	Chinese in India	189,470	2005[78]
Laos	Laotian Chinese	185,765	2005[78]
United Arab Emirates	Chinese people in the United Arab Emirates	180,000	2009[84]
Brunei	Ethnic Chinese in Brunei	43,000	2006[85]
Israel	Chinese people in Israel	23,000	2001[citation needed]
North Korea	Chinese in North Korea	10,000	2009[86]
Pakistan	Chinese people in Pakistan	10,000	2009[87]
Sri Lanka	Chinese people in Sri Lanka	3,500	?[88]
Iran	Chinese people in Iran	3,000	–
Kyrgyzstan	Chinese people in Kyrgyzstan	1,813	2009
Mongolia	Ethnic Chinese in Mongolia	1,323	2000[citation needed]
Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Chinese population	Year of data
Europe		2,775,000+
Russia	Chinese people in Russia, Dungan people	998,000	2005[78]
France	Chinese diaspora in France, Chinois (Réunion)	700,000	2010[89]
United Kingdom	British Chinese	500,000	2008[90]
Italy	Chinese people in Italy	209,000	2011[91]
Spain	Chinese people in Spain	128,022	2008[92]
Netherlands	Chinese people in the Netherlands	76,960	2011[93]
Germany	Chinese people in Germany	71,639	2004[94]
Serbia	Chinese people in Serbia	20,000	2008[95]
Ireland	–	16,533	2006[96]
Denmark	Chinese people in Denmark	10,247	2009[97]
Bulgaria	Chinese people in Bulgaria	10,000	2005[98]
Portugal	Chinese people in Portugal	9,689	2007[99]
Sweden	–	14,134	2010[100]
Finland	–	7,546	2010[101]
Czech Republic	Chinese people in the Czech Republic	4,986	2007[102]
Romania	Chinese of Romania	2,249	2002[103]
Turkey	Chinese people in Turkey	1,000	2009
Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Chinese population	Year of data
Americas		7,080,000+
United States	Chinese American, American-born Chinese	3,800,000	2009[104]
Canada	Chinese Canadian, Canadian-born Chinese	1,300,000	2006[105]
Peru	Chinese-Peruvian	1,300,000	2005[78]
Brazil	Chinese Brazilian	151,649	2005[78]
Panama	Chinese-Panamanian	135,000	2003[106][107]
Cuba	Chinese Cuban	114,240	2008[108]
Argentina	Chinese Argentine	100,000	2008[109]
Mexico	Chinese Mexican	23,000	2003[110]
Nicaragua	Chinese Nicaraguan	12,000	–[111]
Suriname	Chinese-Surinamese	40,000	2011[112]
Jamaica	Chinese Jamaican	70,000	–[113]
Dominican Republic	Ethnic Chinese in the Dominican Republic	15,000	–[114]
Costa Rica	Chinese-Costa Rican	7,873	2009[citation needed]
Chile	Chinese people in Chile	5,000	–[citation needed]
Trinidad & Tobago	Chinese Trinidadian and Tobagonian	3,800	2000[citation needed]
Guyana	Chinese Guyanese	2,722	1921[115]
Belize		1,716	2000[116]
Puerto Rico	Chinese-Puerto Rican	–	–
Haiti	Chinese Haitian	230	–
Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Chinese population	Year of data
Oceania		877,400+
Australia	Chinese Australian	669,896	2006[117]
New Zealand	Chinese New Zealander	147,570	2006[118]
Samoa	Chinese in Samoa	30,000	–[citation needed]
Papua New Guinea	Chinese people in Papua New Guinea	20,000	2008[119][120]
Fiji	Chinese in Fiji	6,000	2000[citation needed]
Tonga	Chinese in Tonga	3,000	2001[121][122]
Palau	Chinese in Palau	1,019	2001[123]
Total overseas Chinese population		~40,000,000

[edit] Returning

See also: Haigui

This section requires expansion.

In the case of Indonesia and Burma, political and ethnic strife has cause a significant number of people of Chinese origins to re-emigrate.

Due to the growing economic strength and the influence on the world, many overseas Chinese have began to migrate back to China. The trend is expected to rise even more in the future.

[edit] See also

• Anti-Chinese legislation in Indonesia
• Asian Latin American
• Bumiputra
• Chinese migration
• Chinatown, the article, and Category:Chinatowns the international category list
• Chinese Clan Association
• Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
• Hong Kongers
• List of overseas Chinese
• Overseas Chinese banks
• Overseas Chinese Affairs Office
• Third culture kid

[edit] Notes

1. ^ The Japanese nationals with Chinese ethnicity are excluded.
2. ^ This number includes 443,566 people called Joseonjok (조선족). Joseonjok people are the Koreans who have Chinese citizenship. The 181,428 Chinese people who are ethnic Chinese (calculated from 624,994-443,566) in Korea are called Hwagyo (화교). (See reference

Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (February 2011)

Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin

Total population

30,000,000+

Regions with significant populations

Nepal 4,000,000    United States 2,843,391    Malaysia 2,400,000    Myanmar 2,000,000    Saudi Arabia 1,500,000    England 1,414,100    United Arab Emirates 1,400,000[1]    South Africa 1,160,000    Canada 1,000,000    Mauritius 855,000    Kuwait 580,000    Trinidad and Tobago 525,000    Oman 450,000    Australia 405,000+    Singapore 400,000    Fiji 340,000    France (2/3 in Réunion) 330,000[note 1]    Guyana 327,000    Bahrain 310,000    Suriname      Italy 150,000    Qatar 125,000    Netherlands 110,000    New Zealand 105,000    Kenya 100,000    Thailand 100,000    Tanzania 90,000    Uganda 90,000    Jamaica 90,000    Portugal 70,000    Israel 62,000

Languages

Indian languages · Local languages · English (for NRIs)

Religion

Hinduism · Islam · Christianity · Sikhism · Jainism · Buddhism · Zoroastrianism · Judaism · Atheism · Agnosticism

Individuals of Indian origin have achieved a high demographic profile in metropolitan areas worldwide, including India Square in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA, one of at least 20 enclaves characterized as a Little India which have emerged within the New York City Metropolitan Area.

A Non-Resident Indian (NRI; Hindi: प्रवासी भारतीय Pravāsī Bhāratīya) is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian. In common usage, this often includes Indian-born individuals (and also people of other nations with Indian ancestry) who have taken the citizenship of other countries.

A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) is usually a person of Indian origin who is not a citizen of India. For the purposes of issuing a PIO Card, the Indian government considers anyone of Indian origin up to four generations removed to be a PIO.[2] Spouses of people entitled to a PIO card in their own right can also carry PIO cards. This latter category includes foreign spouses of Indian nationals, regardless of ethnic origin. PIO Cards exempt holders from many restrictions applying to foreign nationals, such as visa and work permit requirements, along with certain other economic limitations.

The NRI and PIO population across the world is estimated at over 30 million. As per a UNDP‘s 2010 report, after China, India has the largest diaspora in the world, estimated at 25 million, besides being one of the largest “sending” nations in Asia, with an emigration rate of 0.8%. out of which, 72% work in other Asian countries. Also, as per UNESCO Institute for Statistics the number of Indian students abroad tripled from 51,000 in 1999 to over 153,000 in 2007, making India second after China among the world’s largest sending countries for tertiary students.[3]

Since 2003, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Non-resident India Day) sponsored by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, is being celebrated on January 9 each year in India, to “mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India”. The day commemorate the arrival of Mahatama Gandhi in India from South Africa, and during three-day convention held around the day, a forum for issues concerning the Indian Diaspora is held and the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards are given away.[4] As of January 2006,[5] The Indian government has introduced the “Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)” scheme to allow a limited form of dual citizenship to Indians, NRIs and PIOs for the first time since independence in 1947. The PIO Card scheme is expected to be phased out in coming years in favour of OCI.

Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Historical migrations out of India 1.2 Emigration from the Republic of India 2 PIOs today 2.1 Africa 2.1.1 East Africa 2.1.2 Madagascar 2.1.3 Mauritius 2.1.4 Réunion 2.1.5 South Africa 2.2 Asia 2.2.1 Indonesia 2.2.2 Japan 2.2.3 Malaysia 2.2.4 Philippines 2.2.5 Singapore 2.3 Americas 2.3.1 Canada 2.3.2 Caribbean 2.3.3 United States of America 2.4 Europe 2.4.1 United Kingdom 2.5 Middle East 2.5.1 Israel 2.6 Oceania 2.6.1 Australia 2.6.2 New Zealand 2.6.3 Fiji 3 Statistics 4 See also 4.1 Diaspora of Indian ethnic groups 4.2 Related diasporas 4.3 Others 5 Notes 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links

[edit] History

It must be pointed out that strictly speaking “non-resident Indian” refers only to the tax status of a person, i.e., someone who, under Income Tax Act of 1961 has not resided in India for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (under Section 6), but is a citizen of India nonetheless. Residence in India, for the purposes of the Indian Income Tax Act requires stay in India of at least 182 days in a given calendar year or 365 days spread out over four consecutive years. This requirement applies to all individuals, in that a person with non-Indian citizenship can also be “resident in India” for the purposes of the Act, but a resident Indian would only be one who meets the above requirement and possesses Indian citizenship. Likewise, anyone who is not a resident of India according to the Act, is, obviously a non-resident of India, but only those who possess Indian citizenship but do not meet the requirement of residence are treated as Non-Resident Indians.

[edit] Historical migrations out of India

The most significant historical emigration from India was that of the Romani people, traditionally known by the term “Gypsies”.[6] Linguistic and genetic evidence indicates the Romanies originated from the Indian subcontinent, emigrating from India towards the northwest no earlier than the 11th century. The Romani are generally believed to have originated in central India, possibly in the modern Indian state of Rajasthan, migrating to northwest India (the Punjab region) around 250 B.C.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011)

In the centuries spent here, there may have been close interaction with such established groups as the Rajputs and the Jats. Their subsequent westward migration, possibly in waves, is believed to have occurred between 500 A.D. and 1000 A.D. Contemporary populations sometimes suggested as sharing a close relationship to the Romani are the Dom people of Central Asia and the Banjara of India.[7]

Another major emigration from the subcontinent was to South East Asia. It started through early interaction of Indian traders and, after mid-first millennium CE, by some import of Brahmins. This resulted in the establishment of the so-called Indianized kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The Cholas, who were known for their naval power, conquered Sumatra and Malay Peninsula. The influence of Indian culture is still strongly felt in South East Asia, for example with the royal Brahmins of Thailand (rajkru), or especially in Bali (in Indonesia). In such cases, it is not reasonable to apply the label ‘PIO’ to the descendants of emigrants from several centuries back. Intermixture has been so great as to negate the value of such nomenclature in this context.

Another early diaspora, of which little is known about was a reported Indian “Shendu” community that was recorded when Yunnan was annexed by the Han Dynasty in the 1st century by the Chinese authorities.[8]

Indian trader’s family in Bagamoyo, German East Africa, around 1906/18.

The Indian merchant diaspora in Central Asia and Persia emerged in the mid-16th century and remained active for over four centuries. Astrakhan at the mouth of the Volga was the first place in Tsardom of Russia where an Indian merchant colony was established as early as the 1610s. Russian chroniclers reported the presence of Hindu traders in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the 18th century.[9]

During the 19th century and until the end of the Raj, much of the migration that occurred was of poor workers to other British colonies under the indenture system. The major destinations, in chronological order, were Mauritius, Guyana, the Caribbean, Fiji, and East Africa. There was also a small amount of free emigration of skilled labourers and professionals to some of these countries in the twentieth century. The event that triggered this diaspora was the Slavery Abolition Act passed by the British Parliament on August 1, 1834, which freed the slave labour force throughout the British colonies. This left many of the plantations devoid of adequate work force as the newly freed slaves left to take advantage of their freedom. This resulted in an extreme shortage of labour throughout many of the British colonies which was resolved by a massive importation of workers engaged under contracts of indentured servitude. An unrelated system involved recruitment of workers for the tea plantations of the neighbouring British colonies of Sri Lanka and Burma and the rubber plantations of British Malaya (now Malaysia and Singapore).

[edit] Emigration from the Republic of India

After the 1970s oil boom in the Middle East, numerous Indians emigrated to work in the Gulf countries. With modern transportation and expectations, this was on a contractual basis rather than permanent as in the 19th century cases. These Gulf countries have a common policy of not naturalizing non-Arabs, even if they are born there.

The 1990s software boom and rising economy in the USA attracted numerous Indians who emigrated to the United States of America. Today, the USA has the third largest number of Indians.

[edit] PIOs today

[edit] Africa

[edit] East Africa

Main article: Indian diaspora in East Africa

Before the larger wave of migration during the British colonial era, a significant group of South Asians, especially from the west coast (Sindh, Surat, Konkan, Malabar and Lanka) regularly traveled to East Africa, especially Zanzibar. It is believed that they traveled in Arab dhows, Maratha Navy ships (under Kanhoji Angre), and possibly Chinese junks and Portuguese vessels. Some of these people settled in East Africa and later spread to places like present day Uganda. Later they mingled with the much larger wave of South Asians who came with the British.

Indian migration to the modern countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania started nearly a century ago when these were part of British East Africa. Most of these migrants were of Gujarati or Punjabi origin. Their number may have been as high as 500,000 in the 1960s. Indian-led businesses were (or are) the backbone of the economies of these countries. These ranged in the past from small rural grocery stores to sugar mills. In addition, Indian professionals, such as doctors, teachers, engineers, also played an important part in the development of these countries. After independence from Britain in the 1960s, the majority of Asians, as they were known, moved out or were forced out from these countries (in 1970′s by Idi Amin in Uganda). Most of them moved to Britain, or India, or other popular destinations like the USA and Canada.

[edit] Madagascar

Main article: Indians in Madagascar

Indians in Madagascar are descended mostly from traders who arrived in 19th century looking for better opportunities. The majority of them came from the west coast of Indian state of Gujarat known as Karana (Muslim) and Banian (Hindu). The majority speak Gujarati, though some other Indian languages are spoken. Nowadays the younger generations speak at least three languages including, French or English, Gujarati and Malagasy. A large number of Indians are highly educated in Madagascar, particularly the younger generation, who try to contribute their knowledge to the development of Madagascar.

[edit] Mauritius

Main article: Indo-Mauritian

The current President of Mauritius, Anerood Jugnauth, with former US President George W. Bush. Jugnauth is of Indian descent.

Outside of India itself, Mauritius is the only country where people of Indian Origin form the vast majority (not including Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago where Afro-Trinidadians and Indo-Trinidadians have equal populations, or Fiji where the Indo-Fijians once formed the majority but not today). The people are known as Indo-Mauritians, and form about 70% of the population. The majority of them are Hindu (77%) and a significant group are Muslims (22%). There are also some Christians, Bahá’ís and Sikhs, but the Bahá’ís and Sikh populations do not add up to even 1% of the population. Various Indian languages are still spoken, especially Bhojpuri, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Hindi, and Urdu, but most Indo-Mauritians now speak a French-based Creole language at home, as well as French in general fields. Finding an Indo-Mauritian who exclusively speaks an Indian language is very rare.

[edit] Réunion

Main articles: Réunionnais of Indian origin and Malbars

Indians make up a quarter of Réunion’s population. Most originally came as indentured workers from South India.

[edit] South Africa

Main articles: Indian South Africans and Tamil South Africans

Most Asians in South Africa are descended from indentured Indian labourers who were brought by the British from India in the 19th century, mostly to work in the sugar cane plantations of what is now the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). A minority are descended from Indian traders who migrated to South Africa at around the same time, many from the Gujarat area. The city of Durban has the highest number of Asians in sub-Saharan Africa, and the Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi worked as a lawyer in the city in the early 1900s. South Africa in fact has the highest number of people of Indian descent outside of India in the world, i.e. born in South Africa and not migrant, compared to the U.S. Most of them are fourth to fifth generation descent. Most Indian South Africans do not speak the Indian languages which were ‘lost’ over the generations, although they do enjoy watching Indian movies and listening to Indian music.

[edit] Asia

[edit] Indonesia

Main article: Indian Indonesian

Though there are no official figures, it is estimated that there are around 25,000 PIOs/NRIs living in Indonesia of which the Indian expatriate community registered with the Embassy and our Consulate in Medan numbers around 5000.

Indians have been living in Indonesia for centuries from the time of the Srivijaya and Majapahit Empire both of which were Hindu and heavily influenced by the subcontinent. Indians were later brought to Indonesia by the Dutch in the 19th century as indentured laborers to work on plantations located around Medan in Sumatra. While the majority of these came from South India, a significant number also came from the north India. The Medan Indians included Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. They have now been in Indonesia for over four generations and hold Indonesian passports. While local statistics continue to suggest that there are some 40,000 PIOs in Sumatra, the vast majority are now completely assimilated in Indonesian society, though some elements of the Tamil, Sikh and Bihari Communities still maintain their cultural traditions.

The Indian Diaspora also includes several thousand Sindhi families who constitute the second wave of Indian immigrants who made Indonesia their home in the first half of the 20th century. The Sindhi community is mainly engaged in trading and commerce.

Among these communities, Tamils and to a lesser extent Sikhs were primarily engaged in agriculture while Sindhis and Punjabis mainly established themselves in textile trade and sports business.

The inflow of major Indian investments in Indonesia starting in the late 1970s drew a fresh wave of Indian investors and managers to this country. This group of entrepreneurs and business professionals has further expanded over the past two decades and now includes engineers, consultants, chartered accountants, bankers and other professionals.

The Indian community is very well regarded in Indonesia, is generally prosperous and includes individuals holding senior positions in local and multinational companies.

Due to economic factors, most traders and businessmen among PIOs have over past decades moved to Jakarta from outlying areas such as Medan and Surabaya. Almost half the Indian Community in Indonesia is now Jakarta-based; it is estimated that the population of Jakarta’s Indian community is about 19,000.[10] There are six main social or professional associations in Jakarta’s Indian PIO/NRI community. Gandhi Seva Loka (formerly known as Bombay Merchants Association) is a charitable institution run by the Sindhi community and is engaged mainly in educational and social activities. The India Club is a social organization of PIO/NRI professionals. An Indian Women’s Association brings together PIO/NRI spouses and undertakes charitable activities. There is a Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee in Jakarta and Sindhis as well as Sikhs are associated with Gurudwara activities The (ECAII) brings together leading entrepreneurs from the Indian community with the objective of promoting bilateral economic relations, but has been largely inactive. Finally, there is the (ICAI).

[edit] Japan

Main article: Indians in Japan

[edit] Malaysia

Main articles: Indian Malaysian and Chitty

Current World No. 1 of women’s squash, Malaysia’s Nicol David, is of Chindian descent.

Malaysia has one of the world’s largest overseas Chinese and overseas Indian populations. Most Indians migrated to Malaysia as plantation laborers under British rule. They are a significant minority ethnic group, making up 8% of the Malaysian population. Most of these people are Tamils but Malayalam- Telugu, Punjabi and Gujarati- speaking people are also present. They have retained their languages and religion — 80% of ethnic Indians in Malaysia identify as Hindus. A significant number of the population are Sikhs and the rest are Christians and Muslims.

There is also a small community of Indian origin, the Chitty, who are the descendants of Tamil traders who had emigrated before 1500 AD, and Chinese and Malay locals. Considering themselves Tamil, speaking Malay, and practicing Hinduism, the Chittys number about 2000 today.

[edit] Philippines

Main article: Indian settlement in the Philippines

At present time, there are approximately 38,000 and more Indians and Indian Filipinos who are PIOs/NRIs as a whole living throughout the Philippines. Most are concentrated in Manila, Cebu, and Davao, and even in places like Zamboanga, and other major cities and small towns of the named 11 islands.

Indians from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India also came with the British expedition against Manila that took the city from the Spaniards and occupied Manila and the area around Caintâ and Morong (which is now Rizal province) between 1762 and 1763. Many of them refused to leave, mutinied, and married local Tagalog women, which explains why many Filipinos around Caintâ, Rizal are Indian descendants.[11] Many Indians have intermarried with Filipinos, more so than in neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, mainly because their populations are largely Muslim, and Islam doesn’t recognized non-Muslim males who marry Muslims. During the 1930s and 1940s, many Indians and Indian Filipinos lived in Filipino provinces, including Davao, which at the time had, and still have, many Japanese and Japanese Filipinos. When the economy of the Philippines were based in Manila, many moved there, which explains why today half of the Indian and Indian Filipino community are now based there.

Most of the Indians and Indian Filipinos in the Philippines are Sindhi and Punjabi, but there is also a large Tamil population as well. Many are fluent in Tagalog and English as well as the local language of the provinces and islands. Many are prosperous middle and higher class with their main occupations in clothing sales and marketing. Sikhs are involved largely in finance, and sales and marketing. Most of the Indians and Indian Filipinos are Hindu and Sikh, but have assimilated into Filipino culture and some are Catholic. There is a main Hindu and Sikh temple in Manila, and all over the Philippine provinces as well.

[edit] Singapore

Main article: Indians in Singapore

The former President of Singapore, S.R. Nathan, is a Tamil of Indian descent.

Indians in Singapore – defined as persons of South Asian paternal ancestry – form 10% of the country’s citizens and permanent residents, making them Singapore‘s third largest ethnic group. Among cities, Singapore has one of the largest overseas Indian populations.

Although contact with ancient India left a deep cultural impact on Singapore’s indigenous Malay society, the mass migration of ethnic Indians to the island only began with the founding of modern Singapore by the British in 1819. Initially, the Indian population was transient, mainly comprising young men who came as workers, soldiers and convicts. By the mid-20th century, a settled community had emerged, with a more balanced gender ratio and a better spread of age groups. Tamil is one among the four official languages of Singapore alongside with English, Chinese and Malay.

Singapore’s Indian population is notable for its class stratification, with disproportionately large elite and lower income groups. This long-standing problem has grown more visible since the 1990s with an influx of both well-educated and unskilled migrants from India, and as part of growing income inequality in Singapore. Indians earn higher incomes than Malays, the other major minority group. Indians are also significantly more likely to hold university degrees than these groups. However, the mainly locally born Indian students in public primary and secondary schools under-perform the national average at major examinations.

Singapore Indians are linguistically and religiously diverse, with ethnic Tamils and nominal Hindus forming small majorities. Indian culture has endured and evolved over almost 200 years. By the mid to late 20th century, it had become somewhat distinct from contemporary South Asian cultures, even as Indian elements became diffused within a broader Singaporean culture. Since the 1990s, new Indian immigrants have increased the size and complexity of the local Indian population. Together with modern communications like cable television and the internet, this has connected Singapore with an emerging global Indian culture.

Prominent Indian individuals have long made a mark in Singapore as leaders of various fields in national life. Indians are also collectively well represented, and sometimes over-represented, in areas such as politics, education, diplomacy and the law. There is also a small community of Indian origin, the Chitty, who are the descendants of Tamil traders who had emigrated before 1500 AD, and Chinese and Malay locals. Considering themselves Tamil, speaking Malay, and practicing Hinduism, the Chittys number about 2000 today. Also there are many Marwaris in Singapore doing business successfully.

[edit] Americas

[edit] Canada

Main article: Indo-Canadian

According to Statistics Canada, in 2006 there were 962,665 people who classified themselves as being of Indian origin, including terms of “East Indian”, South Asian or Indo-Canadian. In 2001, Sikhs represented 34%, Hindus 27%, Muslims 17% and Christians 16% (7% Protestant/evangelical,9% Catholic) of the total people of Indian origin in Canada.[12] Relatively few people of Indian origin have no religious affiliation. The main Indian ethnic communities are Punjabis as well as Gujaratis, Tamils (Indian as opposed to Sri Lankan), Indo-Caribbeans (numbering approximately 200,000), Kannadigas, Keralites, Bengalis, Sindhis and others.

The first known Indian settlers in Canada were Indian army soldiers who had passed through Canada in 1897 on their way back home from attending Queen Victoria‘s Diamond Jubilee celebration in London, England. Some are believed to have remained in British Columbia and others returned there later. Punjabi Indians were attracted to the possibilities for farming and forestry. They were mainly male Sikhs who were seeking work opportunities. Indo-Caribbean, descendants of the Indian indentured workers who had gone to the Caribbean since 1838, made an early appearance in Canada with the arrival of the Trinidadian medical student Kenneth Mahabir and the Demerara (now Guyana) clerk M.N. Santoo, both in 1908.

The first Indian immigrants in British Columbia allegedly faced widespread racism from the local white Canadians. Race riots targeted these immigrants, as well as new Chinese immigrants. Most decided to return to India, while a few stayed behind. The Canadian government prevented these men from bringing their wives and children until 1919, another reason why many of them chose to leave. Quotas were established to prevent many Indians from moving to Canada in the early 20th century. These quotas allowed fewer than 100 people from India a year until 1957, when the number was increased to 300. In 1967, all quotas were scrapped. Immigration was then based on a point system, thus allowing many more Indians to enter. Since this open-door policy was adopted, Indians continue to come in large numbers, and roughly 25,000-30,000 arrive each year (which now makes Indians the second highest group immigrating to Canada each year, after the Chinese).

Most Indians choose to immigrate to larger urban centers like Toronto, and Vancouver, where more than 70 percent live. Smaller communities are also growing in Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal. Indians in Vancouver are from diverse locations in India, such as Punjab, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. A place called Little India exists in Vancouver and a section of Gerrard Street (Toronto) in Toronto as well. Indians in Vancouver mainly live in the suburb of Surrey, or nearby Abbotsford but are also found in other parts of Vancouver. The vast majority of Vancouver Indians are of Sikh origin and have taken significant roles in politics and other professions, with several Supreme Court justices, three Attorneys General and one provincial premier hailing from the community.

The Greater Toronto Area contains the second largest population of Indian descent in North America, enumerating 484,655 residents of Indian origin as of 2006, surpassed only by the 575,541 estimate by the 2007 American Community Survey for the New York Combined Statistical Area. Note, however, that the Toronto count (but not the New York count) includes individuals of West Indian/Indo-Caribbean descent.

[edit] Caribbean

Main article: Indo-Caribbean

Shiv Chanderpaul, one of the most successful West Indian cricketers.

From 1838 to 1917, over half a million Indians from the former British Raj or British India, were brought to the British West Indies as indentured servants to address the demand for labour following the abolition of slavery. The first two shiploads arrived in British Guiana (now Guyana) on May 5, 1838.

The majority of the Indians living in the English-speaking Caribbean came from eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar, while those brought to Guadeloupe and Martinique were mostly from, but not only, from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. A minority emigrated from other parts of South Asia, including present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh. Other Indo-Caribbean people descend from later migrants, including Indian doctors, Gujarati businessmen and migrants from Kenya and Uganda. A vague community of modern-day immigrants from India is to be found on Saint-Martin / Sint Maarten and other islands with duty-free commercial capabilities, where they are active in business.

Indo-Caribbeans are the largest ethnic group in Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. They are the second largest group in Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and other countries. There are small populations of them in Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, French Guiana, Grenada, Panama, St. Lucia, Haiti, Martinique and Guadeloupe.

The indentured Indians and their descendants have actively contributed to the evolution of their adopted lands in spite of many difficulties. Jamaica has always celebrated the arrival of the East Indians in Old Harbour Bay on May 13. In 2003, Martinique celebrated the 150th anniversary of Indian arrival. Guadeloupe did the same in 2004. These celebrations were not the fact of just the Indian minority but the official recognition by the French and local authorities of their integration and their wide-scale contribution in various fields from Agriculture to Education, Politics, and to the diversification of the Creole culture. Thus the noted participation of the whole multi-ethnic population of the two islands in these events.[13]

[edit] United States of America

Main article: Indian American

Indian immigration to North America started as early as 1890s. A Sikh-Canadians community has existed in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, for over 100 years. Emigration to the U.S. also started in the late 19th and early 20th century, when Sikhs arriving in Vancouver found that the fact that they were subjects of the British Empire did not mean anything in the Empire (Canada) itself, and they were blatantly discriminated against. Some of these pioneers entered the U.S or landed in Seattle and San Francisco as the ships that carried them from Asia often stopped at these ports. Most of these immigrants were Sikhs from the Punjab region. They were referred to in the U.S. as Hindus (due to a common American misconception that everyone in India was a Hindu and also for want of a term that distinguished these immigrants from Native Americans who were then called Indians).

Bobby Jindal, 55th and current Governor of the state of Louisiana.

Asian women were restricted from immigrating, because the US government passed laws in 1917 at the behest of California and other states in the west, which had experienced a large influx of Chinese, Japanese and Indian immigrants during and after the gold rush. As a result, many of the South Asian men in California married Mexican women. A fair number of these families settled down in the Central Valley in California as farmers, and continue to this day. These early immigrants were denied voting rights, family re-unification and citizenship. In 1923 the Supreme Court of the United States, in United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, ruled that people from India (at the time, British India, e.g. South Asians) were ineligible for citizenship. Thind became a citizen a few years later in New York. Bhagat Singh Thind was a Sikh from India who settled in Oregon; he had earlier applied for citizenship and been rejected in Oregon.[14]

After World War II, US immigration policy changed to allow family re-unification for people of non-white origin after being banned for almost half a century. In addition, Asians were allowed to become citizens and to vote. A large number of the men who arrived before the 1940s were finally able to bring their families to the US; most of them settled in California and other west coast states.

Another wave of Indian immigrants entered the U.S. in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. A large proportion of them were Sikhs joining their family members under the new more (though not completely) color-blind immigration laws, and professionals or students that came from all over India. The Cold War created a need for engineers in the defense and aerospace industries, many of whom came from India. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Marwaris, Gujarati and South Indian Tamil people settled in the U.S. . Overall Tamil (Indra Nooyi,Venkatraman Ramakrishnan,and Robert Chandran), Marwaris, Gujaratis, and Punjabis are the most prominent groups of Indian origin. The most recent and probably the largest wave of immigration to date occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000 during the internet boom. As a result, Indians in the U.S. are now one of the largest among the groups of Indian diaspora with an estimated population of about 2.7 million. In contrast to the earliest groups of Indians who entered the US workforce as taxi drivers, laborers, farmers or small business owners, the later arrivals often came as professionals or completed graduate study here and moved into the professions. They have become very successful financially thanks to the hi-tech industry, and are thus probably the most well-off community of immigrants. They are well represented in all walks of life, but particularly so in academia, information technology and medicine. There were over 4,000 PIO professors and 84,000 Indian-born students in American universities in 2007-08. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin boasts a membership of 35,000. In 2000, Fortune magazine estimated the wealth generated by Indian Silicon Valley entrepreneurs at around $250 billion. The combined wealth of the non-resident Indian community is estimated to be over 1 trillion dollars according to a report by the High-Powered expert committee appointed by the center.[2]

Though currently the Indian diaspora in the US is largely concentrated in metropolitan areas such as New York (with the largest Indian American population, enumerating 575,541 individuals according to 2007 American Community Survey estimates by the U.S. Census) – as well as Washington D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco – almost every metropolitan area in the US has a community of Indians.

[edit] Europe

[edit] United Kingdom

Main articles: British Indian and Indian community of London

Freddie Mercury, lead singer and co-founder of the immensely successful rock band Queen, was of Parsi descent and grew up in India.

The Indian emigrant community in the United Kingdom is now in its third generation. Indians in the UK are the largest community outside of Asia proportionally, and the second largest in terms of population, only surpassed by the United States, and closely followed by Canada. The first wave of Indians in the United Kingdom worked as manual labourers and were not respected within society. However, this has changed considerably. Third and fourth generation immigrants are on the whole proving to be very successful, especially in the fields of law, business and medecine. Despite only making up 3% of the population, Indians account for 45% of students at private schools, demonstrating the financial prosperity enjoyed by many of the immigrants.

Indian culture has been constantly referenced within the wider British culture, at first as an “exotic” influence in films like My Beautiful Laundrette, but now increasingly as a familiar feature in films like Bend It Like Beckham.

According to the April 2001 UK National Census,[15] There are 1,051,800 people of Indian origin in the UK. The main ethnic groups are Marwaris, Tamils, Panjabis, Gujaratis, Bengalis and Anglo-Indians. Hindus comprise 45% of the population, Sikhs 29%, Muslims 13%, Christians nearly 5%, with the remainder made up of Jains (15,000), Parsis (Zoroastrians), Buddhists and those who stated no religion. 2005 estimates state 2.41% of England’s population as being Indian (not including mixed race), which would be around 1,215,400 (see Demographics of England). Following the continuous trend (including those of mixed Indian ancestry), in 2008 there are likely to be well over 1,600,000 Indian people in the UK. Some are Atheist (<1%).[16]

Most Indians in the United Kingdom have settled in London, the Midlands, the North West, Yorkshire and the South East. Their presence in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and other regions is not as large. The first generation of immigrants were to be found in the east-end of London which, traditionally was the poorest area in London. However, due to gentrification, this is no longer the case.

There are 2,360,000 people currently speaking Indian languages in the United Kingdom.[17]

[edit] Middle East

There is a huge population of Indians in the Middle East, most coming from Kerala and other south Indian states, especially in the oil rich countries neighboring the Persian Gulf. Most moved to the Gulf after the oil boom to work as engineers, doctors, lawyers, labourers and for clerical jobs. Indians – all foreigners, in fact – in the Gulf do not normally become citizens however. They retain their Indian passports since most of the countries in the Gulf do not provide citizenship or permanent residency. One of the major reasons why Indians like to work in the Gulf is because it provides incomes many times over for the same type of job back in India and its geographical proximity to India. The Indian Diaspora makes up a good proportion of the working class in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In 2005, about 40% of the population in the United Arab Emirates were of Indian descent.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman. NRI population in these GCC countries is estimated to be around 6,000,000 (2006–2007), of which over 1,500,000 stay in the UAE. Majority of them originate from Rajasthan, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Bihar. NRI population tends to save and remit considerable amount to their dependents in India. It is estimated such remittances may be over USD 10 billion per annum (including remittances by formal and informal channels in 2005-2006). (Source: Research by S.Kadwe, 2007).

[edit] Israel

Main articles: Indians in Israel, Bene Israel, and Bnei Menashe

The Bene Israel (Hebrew: בני ישראל‎, “Sons of Israel”, Marathi:बेने इस्राएल) are a group of Jews who migrated in the 19th century from villages in the Konkan area to the nearby Indian cities, primarily Mumbai, but also to Pune, and Ahmedabad. In the second half of the 20th Century most of them emigrated to Israel, where they now number about 60,000. The native language of the Bene Israel is Judæo-Marathi, a form of Marathi.

The Jews of Cochin, in Kerala (Cochin Jews), were another prominent community that migrated to Israel after its creation. They were granted protection by the King of the Princely State of Cochin. The earliest jews in this region, as per local tradition, date to as early as 379 CE. The community was a mix of native Jews (called ‘Black Jews’), and European Jews (called ‘White Jews’) who had emigrated to Cochin after the successive European conquests of Cochin. The Jewish community of Cochin spoke a varient of Malayalam, called Judeo-Malayalam. The community, after the creation of Israel, saw a mass exodus from Cochin, and is presently facing extinction.

Another group of Indians to arrive in Israel belong to the Bnei Menashe (“Children of Menasseh“, Hebrew בני מנשה) a group of more than 9,000 people from India‘s North-Eastern border states of Manipur and Mizoram, who claim descent from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, and of whom about 1,700 now live in Israel (some of them in Israeli settlements on the West Bank). Linguistically, Bnei Menashe are Tibeto-Burmans and belong to the Mizo, Kuki and Chin peoples (the terms are virtually interchangeable).[18] The move to convert them to Judaism and bring them to Israel is politically controversial in both India and Israel.

[edit] Oceania

[edit] Australia

Main article: Indian Australian

As of 2009 it is estimated that there are over 405,000 Australians of Indian origin of which 308,542 are born in India.[19] It is said that the first Indian had come to Australia as part of Captain Cook‘s ship.[citation needed] Before roads and road transport were developed, many Indians had come to Australia to run camel trains. They would transport goods and mail via camel in the desert. Some of the earliest Punjabi arrivals in Australia included Kareem Bux who came as a hawker to Bendigo in 1893, Sardar Beer Singh Johal who came in 1895 and Sardar Narain Singh Heyer who arrived in 1898. Many Punjabis took part in the rush for gold on the Victorian fields. Indians also entered Australia in the first half of the 20th century when both Australia and India were still British colonies. Indian Sikhs came to work on the banana plantations in Southern Queensland. Today a large number of them live in the town of Woolgoolga (a town lying roughly half-way between Sydney and Brisbane). Some of these Indians, the descendants of Sikh plantation workers, now own banana farms in the area. There are two Sikh temples in Woolgoolga. One of which even has a museum dedicated to Sikhism. A large number of Britons and Anglo-Indians born in India migrated to Australia after 1947. These British citizens decided to settle in Australia in large numbers but are still counted as ‘Indian’ Nationals in the census. The third wave of Indians entered the country in the 1980s, after the demise of the white Australia policy. After the policy was abolished many Indian teachers and doctors settled in Australia. Another big influx began with the IT revolution. Large numbers of Indian software professionals arrived in Australia from 1976 onwards. After successive military coups in Fiji of 1987 and 2000 a significant number of Fijian-Indians migrated to Australia as such there is a large Fijian-Indian population in Australia. Fijian-Indians have significantly changed the character of the Indian community in Australia. While most earlier Indian migration was by educated professionals, the Fijian-Indian community was also largely by professionals but also brought many small business owners and entrepreneurs.

The current wave of Indian migration is that of engineers, tool-makers, Gujarati business families from East Africa and relatives of settled Indians. Starved of government funding, Australian education institutes are recruiting full fee paying overseas students. Many universities have permanent representatives stationed in India and other Asian countries. Their efforts have been rewarded and a new influx of Indian students entering Australia. The total number of student visas granted to Indian students for 2006-2007 were 34,136;[20] a significant rise from 2002 to 2003 when 7,603 student visa’s were granted Indian students.[21]

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 87% of Indians residing in Australia are aged under 50 and over 83% of the population are proficient in English. Many in the community are Hindu and Sikh, while there are also smaller number of Christians and Muslims.[citation needed]

[edit] New Zealand

The former Governor General of New Zealand, Anand Satyanand, is of Indian descent.

Indians began to arrive in New Zealand in the late eighteenth century, mostly as crews on British ships. A small number deserted; the earliest known Indian resident of New Zealand was living with a Māori wife in the Bay of Islands in 1815. Numbers slowly increased through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, despite a law change in 1899 which was designed to keep out people who were not of ‘British birth and parentage’. As in many other countries, Indians in New Zealand dispersed throughout the country and had a high rate of small business ownership, particularly fruit and vegetable shops and convenience stores. At this stage most Indian New Zealanders originated from Gujarat. Changes in immigration policy in the 1980s allowed many more Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis into the country, and the 1987 and 2000 military coups in Fiji caused a large increase in the number of Fijian Indians coming to New Zealand. Notable Indian New Zealanders include former Dunedin mayor Sukhi Turner, cricketer Dipak Patel, singer Aaradhna, and former Governor General Anand Satyanand.[22]

[edit] Fiji

See Indians in Fiji, Girmityas, Gujaratis in Fiji

[edit] Statistics

Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Indian population	Percentage of local population
Africa		2,800,000+
South Africa	Indian South Africans	1,300,000[23]	2.7%
Mauritius	Indo-Mauritian	855,000	68.3%
Réunion (France)	Réunionnais of Indian origin (Malbars)	220,000[24]	28%
Kenya	Indians in Kenya	100,000[24]	0.3%
Tanzania	Indians in Tanzania	90,000[24]	0.2%
Uganda	Indians in Uganda	90,000	0.3%
Madagascar	Indians in Madagascar	28,000[24]	0.15%
Nigeria		25,000[24]	0.02%
Mozambique	Indians in Mozambique	21,000[24]	0.1%
Libya		20,000[25]	0.34%
Zimbabwe	Indians in Zimbabwe	16,000[24]	0.1%
Botswana	Indians in Botswana	9,000[24]	0.5%
Zambia	Indians in Zambia	6,000[24]	0.05%
Congo DR		6,000[24]	0.04%
Seychelles	Indo-Seychellois	5,000[24]	6.2%
Ghana		3,800[24]	0.017%
Eritrea		1,753[26]	0.04%
Côte d’Ivoire		300[26]	0.0017%
Namibia		110[26]	0.005%
Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Indian population	Percentage of local population
Asia		9,800,000+
Nepal	Nepalese people of Indian ancestry	4,000,000[27]	14.7%
Malaysia	Malaysian Indian (Chitty · Tamils)	2,400,000	8.7%
Burma	Burmese Indians · Anglo-Indian	2,000,000[26]	4.2%
Sri Lanka	Indians in Sri Lanka (Tamils)	850,000[28]	4.4%
Singapore	Indians in Singapore	320,000	6.6%
Indonesia	Indians in Indonesia	120,000[26]	0.05%
Thailand	Indians in Thailand	65,000	0.1%
Philippines	Indian settlement in the Philippines	38,000[26][29]	0.04%
China	Indians in China (Hong Kong)	Mainland China: 25,000 Hong Kong: 20,444	0.0019% 0.3%
Japan	Indians in Japan	22,335[30]	0.02%
Maldives	Indians in Maldives	9,000[31]	3.1%
Brunei		7,600[26]	2%
South Korea  North Korea	Indians in Korea	7,000[32] 5[33]	0.014% 0.00000021%
Bhutan		1,500[26]	0.07%
Kazakhstan		1,200[34]	0.08%
Afghanistan	Indians in Afghanistan	1,000[34]	0.003%
Uzbekistan		700[34]	0.003%
Turkmenistan		700[34]	0.014%
Vietnam	Indians in Vietnam	1000[26]	0.0011%
Cambodia	Indians in Cambodia	1500[26]	0.01%
Laos		125[26]	0.002%
Kyrgyzstan		100[26]	0.002%
Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Indian population	Percentage of local population
Middle East		4,200,000+
Saudi Arabia	Indians in Saudi Arabia	1,900,000[25]	6.1%
United Arab Emirates	Indians in the United Arab Emirates	1,300,000[35]	31.7%
Kuwait	Indians in Kuwait	580,000[36]	21.6%
Oman	Indians in Oman	450,000[25]	17.5%
Bahrain		150,000[25]	19%
Qatar	Indians in Qatar	125,000[25]	15.7%
Israel	Indians in Israel	45,000[37]	0.7%
Lebanon	Indians in Lebanon	11,000[26]	0.27%
Yemen		9,000[38]	0.04%
Syria		1,800[26]	0.009%
Iran	Indians in Iran	800[34]	0.001%
Turkey	Indians in Turkey	300[39]	0.0004%
Cyprus	Indians in Cyprus	300[40]	0.24%
Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Indian population	Percentage of local population
Europe		1,768,834+[41]
United Kingdom	British Indian	1,053,411 (2001)[42] England 1,414,100 (2009)[43] Wales 20,100 (2009)[44] Scotland 17,000 (2001)[45] Northern Ireland 1,600 (2001)[46]	1.8% 2.7% 0.7% 0.3% 0.1%
Netherlands	Hindoestanen	123,000[40]	0.7%
Italy	Indians in Italy	150,000[40]	0.25%
Portugal	Indians in Portugal	70,000[40]	0.7%
France	Indian diaspora in France	65,000[40]	0.1%
Russia	Indians in Russia	40,000[47]	0.01%
Germany	Indians in Germany	97,000[40]	0.04%
Spain	Indian community of Spain	29,000[40]	0.07%
Switzerland		13,500[40]	0.2%
Austria		11,945[40]	0.15%
Sweden		11,000[40]	0.1%
Belgium	Indians in Belgium	7,000[40]	0.07%
Greece		7,000[40]	0.06%
Norway		5,630[40]	0.1%
Denmark		5,500[40]	0.1%
Ukraine		3,500[40]	0.007%
Republic of Ireland		1,600[40]	0.04%
Romania		1,200[48]	0.0055%
Finland	Indians in Finland	1,170[40]	0.02%
Poland	Indians in Poland	2,000[40]	0.005%
Slovakia		100[40]	0.002%
Lithuania		100[40]	0.003%
Bulgaria		20[40]	0.0003%
Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Indian population	Percentage of local population
North America		5,100,000+
United States	Indian American	2,843,391[49]	0.9%
Canada	Indo-Canadian (Tamil Canadians)	1,230,051[50]	3.9%
Jamaica	Indo-Jamaican	90,000[51]	3.4%
Guadeloupe (France)	Indo-Guadeloupean	55,000	13.6%
Cuba	Indo-Caribbean · Asian Latin American	34,000[52]	0.3%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Indo-Caribbean	21,500[citation needed]	19.7%
Grenada	Indo-Grenadians	12,000	11.7%
Martinique (France)	Indo-Martiniquais	43,600	10%
Saint Lucia	Indo-Caribbean	4,700	2.8%
Puerto Rico (United States)	Asian Latin American · Indo-Caribbean	4,500[citation needed]	0.1%
Barbados	Indians in Barbados	2,200[26]	0.8%
Mexico	Indian immigration to Mexico	2,000[53]	0.0004%
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Indo-Caribbean	1,100[26]	2.6%
Netherlands Antilles (Netherlands)	Indo-Caribbean	600[54]	0.3%
Belize	Indians in Belize	500[26]	0.2%
Antigua and Barbuda	Indo-Caribbean	300[55]	0.4%
Haiti	Indo-Haitian	200[56]	0.4%
Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Indian population	Percentage of local population
South America		510,000+
Trinidad and Tobago	Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian	525,000[57]	40.2%
Guyana	Indo-Guyanese	327,000	43.5%
Suriname	Indo-Surinamese	135,000	27.4%
Panama	Indians in Panama	20,000	0.3%
Brazil	Indian immigration to Brazil	1,900[26]	0.001%
Argentina	Indians in Argentina	1,600[26]	0.004%
Chile	Indians in Chile	1,400[58]	0.004%
Venezuela	Indians in Venezuela	690[26]	0.0026%
Peru	Asian Latin American	145[26]	0.0005%
Uruguay	Indians in Uruguay	90-100[59]	0.001%
Colombia	Asian Latin American	20[26]	0.00004%
Continent / country	Articles	Overseas Indian population	Percentage of local population
Oceania		850,000+
Fiji	Indians in Fiji	340,000	40.1%
Australia	Indian Australian	405,000+[19]	2.0%
New Zealand	Indian New Zealander	105,000[60]	2.6%
Total overseas Indian population		~24,000,000

Geographic spread

Main article: List of Muslim majority countries

Map of the world of Muslim majority countries

[edit] Countries with the largest Muslim populations (2009)

Main article: List of countries by Muslim population

With the exception of India, Ethiopia, China and Russia the majority of the population in the following countries are Muslim.^[1]

• Indonesia 202,867,000 (88.2%)
• Pakistan 174,082,000 (96.3%)
• India 160,945,000 (13.4%)
• Bangladesh 145,312,000 (89.6%)
• Egypt 78,513,000 (94.6%)
• Nigeria 78,056,000 (50.4%)
• Iran 73,777,000 (99.4%)
• Turkey 73,619,000 (98.0%)
• Algeria 34,199,000 (98.0  %)
• Morocco 31,993,000 (99.0%)
• Iraq 30,428,000 (99.0%)
• Sudan 30,121,000 (71.3%)
• Afghanistan 28,072,000 (99.7%)
• Ethiopia 28,063,000 (33.9%)
• Uzbekistan 26,469,000 (96.3%)
• Saudi Arabia 24,949,000 (100%)
• Yemen 23,363,000 (99.1%)
• China 21,667,000 (1.6%)
• Syria 20,196,000 (92.2%)
• Malaysia 16,581,000 (60.4%)
• Russia 16,482,000 (11.7%)
• Niger 15,075,000 (98.6%)
• Azerbaijan 8,765,000 (99.2%) ^[73]

Muslims girls of Malaysia, wearing the common tudong.

Many Muslims not only live in, but also have an official status in the following regions:

• Southwest Asia: Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and non-Arab nations such as Iran.
• Africa: North African countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt; Northeast African countries like Somalia, Somaliland (de facto state), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Sudan; and West African countries like Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Niger and Nigeria.
• Southern Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Northern Cyprus and Turkey.
• Eastern Europe: (North Caucasus and Idel-Ural) and Ukraine (especially in the Crimea)
• Central Asia: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
• South Asia: Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives
• East Asia: parts of China (Xinjiang and Ningxia)
• Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia

The countries of Southwest Asia, and many in Northern and Northeastern Africa are considered part of the Greater Middle East.

Muslim men in Western Thrace, Greece

In Chechnya, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, Ingushetia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan in Russia, Muslims are in the majority.

Some definitions would also include the sizable Muslim minorities in:

• several countries of Europe (of which the Muslim population in Cyprus, Russia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, France, the Netherlands and Denmark make up at least 5% of the total population of that country, and with more than 37 million Muslims, collectively, living in Russia, France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands,^[74]
• several regions of Russia, other than ethnic republics above (Adyghea, North Ossetia-Alania, etc.)
• some parts of India (India has the third-largest population of Muslims of any country; see: Islam in India)
• Singapore, Myanmar, Pattani (Thailand), and Mindanao (Philippines)
• Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.
• Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Malawi, South Africa, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Uganda, Ethiopia
• Crimea in Ukraine

[edit] Demographics

Main articles: List of countries by Muslim population and Muslim population growth

Approximately 23% of the world’s population is Muslim.^[75] Current estimates conclude that the number of Muslims in the world is around 1.57 billion.^[1] Muslims are the majority in 57 countries, they speak about 60 languages and come from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Arabic is the most spoken language of Muslims, and is spoken by 20% of Muslims. Bengali is the second most commonly spoken language, spoken by around 10% of the total population, and Punjabi is the third most spoken language (spoken by around 5% of Muslim world). Other major languages spoken by the Muslims are Javanese, Turkish, Urdu, Persian, and Pashto.

[edit] Important organizations

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Economy GDP, GDP/capita, Exports, Imports Education

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is an inter-governmental organization grouping fifty-seven States. The Organisation is the collective voice of the Muslim world to safeguard the interest and ensure the progress and well-being of their peoples and those of other Muslims in the world over.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) includes many nations that are also in the Arab League.

A politically motivated oil embargo in 1974 (to support Egypt and Syria in the 1973 Yom Kippur War against Israel after the US re-equipped Israel with armaments) had drastic economic and political consequences in the United States and Europe.

[edit] Religion and state

Further information: Political aspects of Islam and Islam and secularism

Religion and state in Muslim majority countries.

  Islamic State: Adopted Islam as the ideological foundation for their political institution.

  State Religion: Religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state.

  Secular State: Officially neutral in matters of religion, neither supporting nor opposing any particular religions.

  No Declaration: No announcement formally or officially.

Islamic law does not distinguish between “matters of church” and “matters of state”; the ulama function as both jurists and theologians. In practice, Islamic rulers frequently bypassed the Sharia courts with a parallel system of so-called “Grievance courts” over which they had sole control.^{[citation needed]}

As the Muslim world came into contact with Western secular ideals, Muslim societies responded in different ways. Azerbaijan was the first secular republic in the Muslim world, between 1918 and 1920, when it was incorporated into the Soviet Union.^[76][77][78] Turkey has been governed as a secular state since the reforms of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. By contrast, the 1979 Iranian Revolution replaced a mostly secular regime with an Islamic republic led by the Ayatollah, Ruhollah Khomeini.^[79]

Many Muslim countries have implemented some form of Sharia law or otherwise have Islam as the official state religion. Consequently, in those countries, areas of society ranging from politics to law to schooling, among others, have been affected. However, other states in the Muslim world remain officially secular.

[edit] Countries

Main article: List of Muslim-majority countries

Countries in the Muslim world sorted by state religion:

[edit] Islamic states

Main article: Islamic state

Islamic states have adopted Islam as the ideological foundation for their political institution.

• Afghanistan^[80]
• Bahrain^[81]
• Iran^[82]
• Mauritania^[83]
• Oman^[84]
• Pakistan^[85]
• Yemen^[86]
• Saudi Arabia

[edit] State religion

State religion are religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state.

• Algeria^[87]
• Bangladesh^[88]
• Egypt^[89]
• Iraq^[90]
• Kuwait^[91]
• Libya^[92]
• Malaysia^[93]
• Maldive^[94]
• Morocco^[95]
• Sudan
• Somalia^[96]
• Tunisia^[97]
• United Arab Emirates^[98]

[edit] Secular states

Secular states are officially neutral in matters of religion, neither supporting nor opposing any particular religions.

• Albania
• Azerbaijan^[99]
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Burkina Faso^[100]
• Chad^[101]
• Djibouti^[102]
• Gambia^[103]
• Guinea^[101]
• Indonesia
• Kazakhstan^[104][105]
• Kosovo
• Kyrgyzstan^[106]
• Mali^[107]
• Northern Cyprus
• Senegal^[108]
• Tajikstan^[109]
• Turkmenistan^[110]
• Turkey
• Uzbekistan