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Indians in Hong Kong

India has the largest diaspora in the world & as per the Ministry of External Affairs, there are 3.2 Crores or 32 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) residing outside India.

As per the Ministry of External Affairs 2018 report, there are 38,729 (39 thousand) Indians residing in Hong Kong

  • Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) – 7,160 
  • Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) – 31,569 

read about the Population of Overseas Indians

Source: MEA report about overseas Indian population.

Hong Kong Indian population

Indians make up around 1% of the Hong Kong population & approx population of Indians in Hong Kong as of 2023 is 60,000 (60 thousand).  As of the 2021 by-census, there were at least 101,969 persons of South Asian descent in Hong Kong. Many trace their roots in Hong Kong as far back as when India was still under British colonial rule and as a legacy of the British Empire, their nationality issues remain largely unsettled. 

Indians in Hong Kong include citizens of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and a small number of stateless persons and naturalized citizens of the People’s Republic of China. As a result, many of them also become British nationals (Overseas) or British citizens. According to the statistics of the Republic of India’s High-Level Committee on Indian Diaspora, among Hong Kong residents, there are 22,000 Indian citizens and 28,500 non-citizen Persons of Indian Origin (people with origins in British India, including places which lie outside the today’s Republic of India, and having citizenships of countries other than the Republic of India.

Some famous Indians are Hormusjee Naorojee Mody, Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala, Hari Harilela, and Jehangir Hormusjee Ruttonjee who arrived independently in the course of trade from Bombay, Gujarat, and Karachi (Sindh).

Religion of Indian population in Hong Kong

Hinduism is the main religion followed by people of Indian origin in Hong Kong. Sikhs and Muslims also have sizable numbers.

Hinduism is a minor faith in Hong Kong growing with South Asian birth growth. It is practiced by descendants of migrants from South Asia who are mainly businessmen. Hinduism is represented by 0.5% of Hong Kong’s population. There are 40,000 Hindus as of 2010. In 2016, it increased to 1.3% with 100,000 Hindus

Among respondents to the 2011 Census who self-identified as Indian, 37.2% stated that they spoke English as their usual language, 4.6% Cantonese, and 57.9% some other language.

also read about religion in Hong Kong

Indian population in Hong Kong 2023 | Indians in Hong Kong