Transformative perspectives on migration from and in the Global South: Let data, information and statistics on India speak

Abstract

India, the second most populous country and the largest democracy in the world, has experienced rapid economic development and demographic shifts in recent decades. There has been rapid urbanization caused partly due to ruralurbanmigration of more than 110 million migrants representing 54.6 percent of the urban population. India is one of the world’s largest international migration sending countries, with 14 million Indian citizens settled abroad (NRIs or non-resident Indians), consisting of lower-skilled/less-educated laborers as well as highly-educated/skilled professionals (Ministry of External Affairs, n.d.). Together with 18 million strong Indian diaspora, the persons of Indian origin (PIOs) as naturalized citizens of their countries of residence abroad, have spread out globally with significant presence in 37 countries (ICWA, 2001; Lal, 2006; United Nations, 2019). Moreover, while considered as a significant international migration sending country, India has also attracted a large number