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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,500[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Punta Arenas · Santiago · Iquique | |
| Languages | |
| Chilean Spanish · Sindhi · Hindi · Urdu · English · Languages of India | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism · Islam · Christianity · Sikhism · Religions of India | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Person of Indian Origin |
Indians in Chile form one of the smaller populations of the Indian diaspora. The large majority of them ofSindhi descent. A few Indians went to Chile in the 1920s. Later more Indians migrated there in the 1980s - not only fromIndia,[citation needed] but also fromHong Kong,Spain,Ivory Coast,Indonesia,Nigeria,Panama, thePhilippines andSingapore.
Some migrants fromBritish India (includingPakistan) arrived to work in mining, railroads and agriculture in the early 20th century, usually underBritish-owned corporations. However most Indians in Chile are new arrivals in the 1980s and the 1990s for economic reasons.
The first immigrants from India (mostly of Sindhi descent) arrived to Magallanes (present-dayPunta Arenas) in 1904 and worked as traders. Their descendants moved to different parts of the country, though mostly toSantiago. Descendants of Sindhi migrants to Chile also live on the northern coast (i.e.Arica,Iquique andAntofagasta). A second large wave of Indian immigration occurred in the 1980s. These are the people who set up theIndian Association of Santiago.
As of 2012, there are about 1500 people of Indian origin living in the country, mostly in Iquique, Santiago and Punta Arenas.[1] About 40 per cent of them have obtained Chilean nationality.[1]
There are various commercial opportunities in Chile for Indian immigrants and multinational firms have begun to arrive and along with them Indian engineers.
