18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held on January 9th, 2025, honors the contributions of the Indian diaspora to India and marks Mahatma Gandhi's return to the country in 1915. The event organized by the Ministry of External Affairs has evolved into a biennial event. The theme is "Diaspora's Contribution to a Viksit Bharat" (Developed India).
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The Prime Minister inaugurated the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention on 9th January 2025.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on January 9th to honour the contributions of the Indian diaspora to India. This day also marks the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India in 1915.
The event was first established in 2003 during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to mark the contribution of the Overseas Indian community to the development of India.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event is organised by the Ministry of External Affairs. Since 2015, it has developed into a biennial event, with theme-based conferences held in the intervening years.
The theme of the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, is “Diaspora's Contribution to a Viksit Bharat” (Developed India).
The Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was inaugurated by the External Affairs Minister, Minister for Youth Affairs, and the Chief Minister of Odisha to provide a platform for youth to reconnect with their roots.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the event and remotely flagged off the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special tourist train for the diaspora.
The valedictory session presided over by the President of India, along with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards presentation.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards (PBSA) are prestigious honours conferred on Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), or organizations established by them.
These awards recognize outstanding achievements in fields like education, science, trade, arts, culture, social work, and philanthropy. They are presented by the President of India.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, as of May 2024, the total number of overseas Indians worldwide is around 35.42 million, which includes about 15.85 million non-resident Indians (NRIs) and nearly 19.57 million individuals of Indian origin (PIOs).
The United States is home to the largest Indian population in the world, counting 5.4 million people, which represents around 1.6% of the country’s overall population of 345 million.
|
Rank |
Country |
Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) |
Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) |
Overseas Indian |
|
1 |
USA |
2,077,158 |
3,331,904 |
5,409,062 (5.4M) |
|
2 |
UAE |
3,554,274 |
14,574 |
3,568,848 (3.6M) |
|
3 |
Malaysia |
163,127 |
2,751,000 |
2,914,127 (2.9M) |
|
4 |
Canada |
1,016,274 |
1,859,680 |
2,875,954 (2.8M) |
|
5 |
Saudi Arabia |
2,460,603 |
2,906 |
2,463,509 (2.5M) |
|
6 |
Myanmar |
2,660 |
2,000,000 |
2,002,660 (2.0M) |
|
7 |
UK |
369,000 |
1,495,318 |
1,864,318 (1.9M) |
|
8 |
South Africa |
60,000 |
1,640,000 |
1,700,000 (1.7M) |
|
9 |
Sri Lanka |
7,500 |
1,600,000 |
1,607,500 (1.6M) |
|
10 |
Kuwait |
993,284 |
2,244 |
995,528 (996K) |
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