When Americans discuss immigration and demographic change, South Asian communities—particularly Indians and Pakistanis—often feature prominently in the conversation. Yet the actual numbers reveal a striking reality: despite decades of immigration and recent population growth, South Asians remain dramatically underrepresented in the United States relative to their global population share.
To understand this disparity, we need to start with the baseline figures. The United States is home to approximately 335 million people, representing about 4.2% of the world’s roughly 8 billion inhabitants. If demographic representation were proportional to global population, we would expect each major ethnic and national group to comprise roughly 4.2% of their worldwide total in the American population.
South Asia, however, tells a radically different story. India alone has a population exceeding 1.4 billion people, making it the world’s most populous nation. Pakistan follows with approximately 240 million residents, while Bangladesh adds another 170 million. When we include Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and other South Asian nations, the region accounts for nearly a quarter of humanity—close to two billion people living in just one geographic area.
Now consider the South Asian population actually living in the United States. According to recent census data and demographic estimates, there are approximately 5.4 million people of Indian origin in America, around 800,000 Pakistani Americans, roughly 200,000 Bangladeshi Americans, and smaller populations from other South Asian nations. Even when we account for all South Asian communities collectively, the total hovers around 6.5 to 7 million people, or roughly 2% of the U.S. population.
The mathematical reality becomes clear when we calculate representation rates. Indian Americans constitute approximately 0.38% of India’s global population—less than one-tenth of what proportional representation would suggest. Pakistani Americans represent about 0.33% of Pakistan’s worldwide population. For Bangladesh, the figure drops even lower to roughly 0.12%. Across the board, South Asians in America represent between one-tenth and one-twelfth of what their numbers would be if representation matched global demographic proportions.
This underrepresentation becomes even more striking when we compare it to the American population’s relationship to other regions. European-descended Americans, for instance, represent a far higher percentage of the global European population than South Asians do of theirs. Even accounting for historical immigration patterns and the fact that the United States was primarily built through European immigration, the current disparity remains substantial.
Some might argue that recent immigration has dramatically changed these dynamics, and there’s truth to the observation that South Asian immigration has accelerated in recent decades. The Indian American population, for example, has roughly doubled since the year 2000, making it one of the fastest-growing demographic groups in the country. Annual immigration from India has regularly exceeded 100,000 people in recent years, with some years seeing numbers approach or exceed 150,000 new arrivals.
Yet even this considerable growth barely dents the representational gap. To achieve proportional representation—where South Asians in America would constitute 4.2% of the global South Asian population—the United States would need to be home to approximately 84 million people of South Asian origin. That’s roughly twelve times the current South Asian American population. Even at the elevated immigration rates of recent years, it would take many generations to approach proportional representation, assuming immigration rates remained constant and global South Asian population growth ceased entirely, neither of which is realistic.
The reasons for this underrepresentation are complex and multifaceted, rooted in geography, history, immigration policy, and economic factors. Unlike European immigration to America, which occurred over centuries and included periods of mass migration, South Asian immigration largely began in earnest only after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 removed discriminatory quotas. Even then, restrictive policies, visa caps, and the sheer distance between South Asia and North America have constrained migration flows in ways that don’t apply to some other regions.
Furthermore, immigration policy in the United States has increasingly favored skilled workers and family reunification, creating particular pathways that affect how and how quickly different populations can migrate. The backlog for employment-based and family-sponsored green cards from India, for instance, now stretches decades for some categories, effectively limiting the pace of permanent immigration regardless of demand.
Understanding this underrepresentation matters for several reasons. It provides crucial context for discussions about immigration and demographic change, revealing that even groups perceived as rapidly growing remain far below proportional representation. It challenges narratives that might suggest certain immigrant groups are “taking over” or becoming disproportionately numerous. And it highlights how historical patterns, policy choices, and geographic realities shape which populations have access to opportunities in America.
The data tells an unambiguous story: South Asians, despite representing nearly a quarter of humanity, make up only about 2% of the American population. That’s not overrepresentation by any mathematical measure—it’s dramatic underrepresentation, even as these communities continue to grow and contribute significantly to American society.