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Agartala, Tripura
Despite a widely publicised immigration crackdown in the United States, Saudi Arabia has deported significantly more Indian nationals than the US over the past five years, according to data shared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
In a written reply to Parliament, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said deportations of Indians abroad typically occur due to visa overstays, working without valid permits, labour law violations, absconding from employers, or involvement in civil or criminal cases.
Data provided by the Indian Mission in Riyadh shows that Saudi Arabia recorded the highest number of deportations of Indian nationals globally between 2021 and 2025.
The Kingdom deported 8,887 Indians in 2021, 10,277 in 2022, 11,486 in 2023 and 9,206 in 2024. As of 2025 so far, 7,019 Indians have already been deported.
In comparison, deportations from the United States remain far lower.
According to MEA data, the Indian mission in Washington DC reported 805 deportations in 2021, 862 in 2022, 617 in 2023, 1,368 in 2024 and 3,414 in 2025 so far.
Other Indian missions in US cities such as San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, Houston and Chicago reported deportation figures largely in the double digits or low hundreds.
Outside Saudi Arabia and the US, countries that deported notable numbers of Indian nationals include Myanmar (1,591), Malaysia (1,485), the UAE (1,469), Bahrain (764), Thailand (481) and Cambodia (305).
The government said it accords the highest priority to the safety and well-being of Indians abroad, adding that Indian missions actively engage with host countries to facilitate rescue and repatriation where required.
