Saudi Arabia has deported more Indian nationals than the United States over the past five years, according to official data from India’s foreign ministry
Despite heightened debate around immigration enforcement in the United States, data placed before parliament shows that Saudi Arabia has consistently recorded the highest number of deportations of Indian nationals globally between 2021 and 2025. The information was shared by the Ministry of External Affairs in response to a query on the treatment of Indians abroad and the scale of removals from different countries.
In a written reply, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh outlined the typical grounds on which Indian citizens are detained or deported overseas. “There are several reasons for detention and deportation of Indians abroad, including overstay beyond validity of visa or residency card, working without work permit, violating labour regulations, absconding from the employer and facing of civil or criminal cases, etc,” he said. The statement makes clear that the majority of cases involve administrative or legal breaches rather than irregular migration across borders.
Figures compiled by the Indian Mission in Riyadh show a steady flow of deportations from Saudi Arabia over recent years. In 2021, a total of 8,887 Indian nationals were deported from the kingdom. This number rose to 10,277 in 2022 and increased further to 11,486 in 2023, reflecting stricter enforcement of residency and labour regulations in the country. In 2024, the number fell to 9,206. As of the current date in 2025, 7,019 deportations have already been recorded, suggesting that the overall figure for the year could again be significant.
By contrast, deportations of Indian nationals from the United States remain markedly lower, even during periods of tighter immigration enforcement. Data supplied by Indian missions in the US indicates that the mission in Washington DC reported 805 deportations in 2021 and 862 in 2022. The number fell to 617 in 2023 before rising to 1,368 in 2024. In 2025, deportations reported by the Washington mission increased sharply to 3,414.
Even with that rise, the overall scale of removals from the United States is still far below the levels seen in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Other Indian missions across the US, including those in San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, Houston and Chicago, have generally reported deportation figures in the double digits or low hundreds. According to the data, most deportations in the US in 2025 were recorded by the Washington DC mission, with Houston reporting 234 cases.
The comparison highlights the differing profiles of Indian migration to the two countries. Saudi Arabia hosts a large Indian expatriate workforce employed across construction, services, domestic work and other sectors governed by sponsorship and residency rules. Enforcement drives targeting visa overstays, unauthorised employment and labour law violations have periodically resulted in mass detentions and deportations. In the United States, Indian migrants are more often present on student, skilled worker or visitor visas, with deportations typically linked to overstays, visa status violations or failed asylum claims rather than large-scale workplace inspections.
Beyond Saudi Arabia and the United States, the data also lists other countries that have deported notable numbers of Indian nationals in recent years. Myanmar recorded 1,591 deportations, while the United Arab Emirates reported 1,469. Malaysia accounted for 1,485 cases, Bahrain for 764, Thailand for 481 and Cambodia for 305. These figures again point to a concentration of deportations in regions with significant numbers of temporary or low-skilled migrant workers.
The foreign ministry said that the Indian government accords “utmost priority” to the safety, security and well-being of Indian nationals abroad. It added that Indian missions and posts actively take up issues related to detention, deportation, rescue and repatriation with host governments. Diplomatic interventions, consular access and coordination with local authorities are used to facilitate the return of nationals and to address welfare concerns during detention.
The data underscores the scale and complexity of Indian migration across different regions and legal regimes. While public attention has often focused on immigration enforcement in Western countries, the figures show that deportations from Gulf and neighbouring Asian states continue to account for a far larger share of removals of Indian citizens. The government has indicated that it will continue to monitor the situation and engage with host countries to safeguard the rights and welfare of Indians living and working overseas.
