India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, informed the Indian Parliament yesterday that the number of Indians residing in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has surpassed nine million.
The Minister highlighted that Indians are engaged in a diverse array of professions, ranging from highly skilled positions in fintech, healthcare, information technology, engineering, and banking to manual labor roles such as cleaners, maids, electricians, and plumbers.
Among the GCC countries, the UAE is the top choice for Indian job seekers, hosting 3.55 million Indians, followed by Saudi Arabia with 2.64 million Indians, as revealed by Singh in response to queries from members of the Lok Sabha, the lower House of Parliament. Kuwait accommodates one million Indians, while the remaining GCC countries have Indian populations in the six-figure range.
India has granted emigration clearance to 180,000 of its citizens up to June 30 this year for employment in countries that mandate such clearance under Indian regulations. This figure for the first half of the year is comparable to the 398,000 emigration clearances issued for the entire year of 2023. Emigration clearance is required for Indians with educational qualifications below the 10th grade, as well as for certain professions like nursing seeking employment abroad.
