Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in Saudi Arabia () are the largest community of expatriates in the country, with most of them coming from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and most recently, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

Overview

Indians as migrant workers first began to arrive in modern-day Saudi Arabia in relatively small numbers from the British Raj soon after the discovery of oil in 1938, but their migration numbers skyrocketed exponentially after the 1973 energy crisis and subsequent oil boom. However, migration to Saudi Arabia dropped dramatically after reaching its peak in 2014 due to the introduction of the Nitaqat scheme in 2011, the acceleration of the 2010s oil glut by early 2016, and the launch of Saudi Vision 2030.

History India and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to manage and organize the recruitment of domestic workers in January 2014. Between then and April 2016, 500,000 Indians moved to Saudi Arabia for employment. The agreement includes a provision which stipulates that sponsors must pay a guarantee of US$2,500 for each Indian worker they recruit.

Demographics The following table shows the estimated population of Indians in Saudi Arabia since 1975.

YearPopulation197534,500197960,0001983110,0001987190,0001991251,0001999500,0002000570,0002004760,00020151,100,00020174,100,000 20221,384,47620231,494,947

Education

Indian curriculum schools in Saudi Arabia include:

Dammam International Indian School, Dammam (Largest school in Saudi Arabia and the MENA) Dunes International School Al Khozama International School

Riyadh International Indian School, Riyadh (First school to serve Indian diaspora {est.1982} ) New Middle East International School, Riyadh International Indian Public School, Riyadh Al-Yasmin International School, Riyadh Al Alia International Indian School Yara International School

Jeddah Talal International School, Jeddah International Indian School Jeddah

Buraidah International Indian School Buraidah

Jubail

International Indian School, Al-Jubail

Taif

International Indian School Taif

See also

Indian Saudis India – Saudi Arabia relations Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia Migrant workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council region Treatment of South Asian labourers in the Gulf Cooperation Council region

References