CHANDIGARH: The United States recorded the highest number of attacks on Indian nationals followed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom and Canada in the last five years, the Ministry of External Affairs shared data in Parliament on Thursday.
Between 2021 and 2025, US reported 33 such attacks, while UAE, UK, and Canada reported 32, 31, and 30 attacks, respectively. Instances of attacks on Indians living abroad have surged nearly sevenfold in the same period, rising from 15 in 2021 to 104 in 2025.
Besides the US, UAE, UK and Canada, which account for the highest number of attacks, the other countries are Ireland, Russia, and Germany with 24, 23, and 19 cases, respectively, according to data covering 36 countries and regions.
A total of 302 instances of attacks on Indians were reported during the same period with 15 attacks in the year 2021, 31 in 2022, 67 in 2023, 85 in 2024 and 104 last year.
In the US, 14 Indians were attacked in 2025, the highest number recorded for any country. In 2024, 11 attacks took place, one in 2023, six in 2022 and one in 2021.
These figures come amid heightened debate in the US over immigration, particularly the H-1B visa programme, under which Indians make up the largest group of recipients.
Online hostility towards Indian immigrants and South Asians also intensified in parts of American far-right groups after President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January last year.
While Canada recorded a consistent rise from three cases in 2021 to six in 2022 and 2023, each, seven in 2024 and eight in 2025.
The UK recorded one case in 2021, four in 2022, 11 in 2023, 10 in 2024 and five in 2025.
Interestingly, there is a surge in attacks in Mali, too, where 11 attacks were reported in 2025.
In Germany, 12 cases were reported in 2024, the highest in a single year. However, last year the number fell to four. Also, Ireland witnessed a significant increase from one each in 2021 and 2022 to five in 2023, seven in 2024 and 10 attacks in 2025. While in Russia 12 cases in 2023 were reported which later fell to two in 2024 and again increased to eight in 2025.
The Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, replying to a question, said, “Indian missions and posts remain vigilant and closely monitor any untoward incidents affecting Indian nationals abroad."
"Such incidents are immediately taken up with the authorities concerned of the host country to ensure that the cases are properly investigated and the perpetrators are punished as per their domestic laws," Singh said.
The minister said such cases were immediately taken up with the authorities of the host country to ensure proper investigation and punishment of perpetrators under domestic laws.
For Indians facing distress abroad, the 'Indian Community Welfare Fund', established across Indian missions and posts, is used to meet contingency expenditure on a means-tested basis.
The government has also established 'Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendras' in Dubai, Sharjah, Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuala Lumpur to assist distressed Indian nationals.