Indians in the United Arab Emirates

Indians in the United Arab Emirates (Arabic: الهنود في الإمارات العربية المتحدة, romanized: al-Hunūd fī al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabīyah al-Muttaḥidah) constitute the largest part of the population of the country. Over 3,860,000 Indian expats are estimated to be living in the UAE, which is over 38 percent of the total population of the UAE and the fourth highest number of overseas Indian people in the world, after the United States, Saudi Arabia and Nepal (see Indian diaspora). Indian contact with the emirates that now constitute the UAE dates back several centuries, as a result of trade and commerce between the emirates and India. The UAE has experienced a tremendous increase in the population of resident Indians who initially migrated to the country as a result of opportunities in petroleum. Now, Indians are key to the UAE's construction, retail, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and transport sectors. A sizeable minority of Indian migrants are involved in professional services and entrepreneurship. Relations between India and the UAE have traditionally been very friendly.