According to data provided by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in Parliament, a total of 1,340 Indian citizens died by suicide in Gulf countries over the last three years. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) topped the list with 511 cases, followed by Saudi Arabia with 354 cases, Kuwait with 162 cases, Oman with 146 cases, Bahrain with 101 cases, and Qatar with 66 cases.
The total number of Indians abroad who have died by suicide between 2023 and 2025 is over 1,900, with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries accounting for more than 70% of these cases. Other countries with significant numbers of Indian suicide cases include Malaysia with 131 cases and the United States with 62 cases. Italy, Canada, and the United Kingdom each recorded over 30 cases during the three-year period.
The data was provided by Minister of State, External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, in Lok Sabha during the ongoing Parliament session, in response to a question by Congress Parliamentarians Satpal Brahamchari and Jai Prakash on the review of death of Indian citizens abroad. The figures are concerning, given that around one crore Indian citizens and persons of Indian origin are presently living in the Gulf countries.
A comparison with previous data suggests that the number of suicide cases by Indian citizens living abroad may have increased in the period cited. In 2022, the MEA had reported 4,005 suicides between 2014 and 2022. While no reason has been cited for the increase, the government has taken measures to ensure the well-being and protection of Indian workers overseas, including the Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojna (PBBY) scheme.
The PBBY is a mandatory insurance scheme for all Emigration Check Required (ECR) category workers going to ECR countries, providing an insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh in case of accidental death or permanent disability, among other benefits. The latest data also tabulates the deaths of Indian citizens by cause, including natural causes, workplace accidents, suicide, crime, and other reasons.
GCC countries accounted for a significant number of fatalities due to workplace accidents, with Saudi Arabia recording 182 cases and the UAE recording 128 cases. Other countries with notable numbers of workplace accident fatalities include Canada, Maldives, Singapore, and the US. The total number of Indians abroad who have lost their lives in the last three years exceeds 39,000.
