Biggest sources of immigrants to Indianapolis

Written by:
April 4, 2021
JMRAFFi // Wikimedia Commons

Biggest sources of immigrants to Indianapolis

Nearly 14% of the United States population is composed of immigrants. But in reality, the vast majority of Americans today are here because of relatives who immigrated from other countries some time in the last several hundred years.

And while the distinctive American culture and spirit is the result of blending many diverse cultures and histories, the United States has for centuries had an up-and-down relationship with immigration.

Each era of immigration has been met with reductive ideas and resistance, whether the backlash was directed toward the Chinese, Irish, Italians, or Mexicans. Immigration laws have targeted specific groups at various times, stoking intolerance and preventing people from truly joining American society. Over time, however, as laws changed to be more equitable and immigrants found their footings, we have reaped the rewards of innovation in business, music, art, literature, dance, food, societal norms, entertainment, and sports—all while realizing a greater understanding of and respect for different cultures, religions, and ideas.

Stacker compiled a list of the countries most immigrants to Indianapolis come from, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Countries are ranked by highest number of foreign-born residents who lived in Indianapolis as of 2019’s five-year estimates.

Keep reading to find out more about the immigrant community in your home city.

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Nahlik // Shutterstock

#50. Poland

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 378
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 410,841
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #21 most common country of origin
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Marianna Ianovska // Shutterstock

#49. Chile

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 379
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 98,945
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #61 most common country of origin
3 / 50
Evgeniya Uvarova // Shutterstock

#48. Argentina

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 388
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 194,435
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #39 most common country of origin
4 / 50
HandmadePictures // Shutterstock

#47. South Africa

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 403
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 104,022
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #56 most common country of origin
5 / 50
Creativa Images // Shutterstock

#46. Indonesia

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 404
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 96,229
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #62 most common country of origin
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Christopher Michel // Flickr

#45. Sudan

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 408
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 46,716
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #87 most common country of origin
7 / 50
Issa Kashala // Shutterstock

#44. Democratic Republic of Congo

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 414
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 43,723
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #91 most common country of origin
8 / 50
Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#43. Eritrea

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 438
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 45,119
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #90 most common country of origin
9 / 50
Diego Delso // Wikimedia Commons

#42. Hong Kong

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 442
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 231,275
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #36 most common country of origin
10 / 50
Sergei25 // Shutterstock

#41. Jordan

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 447
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 81,155
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #71 most common country of origin
11 / 50
Fitria Ramli // Shutterstock

#40. Saudi Arabia

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 449
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 85,000
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #70 most common country of origin
12 / 50
Dorymam // Cameroon

#39. Cameroon

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 485
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 60,120
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #80 most common country of origin
13 / 50
Simon // Pixabay

#38. Australia

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 505
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 92,483
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #64 most common country of origin
14 / 50
Jalo // Wikimedia Commons

#37. Zimbabwe

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 537
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 24,144
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #114 most common country of origin
15 / 50
PIxabay

#36. Taiwan

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 544
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 381,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #24 most common country of origin
16 / 50
Rjruiziii // Wikicommons

#35. Ghana

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 580
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 178,388
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #43 most common country of origin
17 / 50
byvalet // Shutterstock

#34. Jamaica

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 605
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 741,386
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%
- #13 most common country of origin
18 / 50
Ninara // Wikimedia Commons

#33. Iran

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 609
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 382,260
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #23 most common country of origin
19 / 50
Alexander Canas Arango // Shutterstock

#32. Colombia

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 698
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 761,374
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%
- #12 most common country of origin
20 / 50
Denys Yelmanov // Shutterstock

#31. Bangladesh

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 734
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 237,288
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #35 most common country of origin
21 / 50
Kendra Helmer // Wikimedia Commons

#30. Haiti

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 737
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 672,655
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%
- #15 most common country of origin
22 / 50
Unsplash

#29. Ukraine

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 799
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 345,250
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #28 most common country of origin
23 / 50
Elena Simona Craciun // Shutterstock

#28. Nicaragua

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 870
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 251,913
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #33 most common country of origin
24 / 50
Falkenpost // Pixabay

#27. Cuba

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 903
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 1,289,875
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.9%
- #7 most common country of origin
25 / 50
Jack Bkk // Shutterstock

#26. Thailand

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 940
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 255,345
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #32 most common country of origin
26 / 50
Catarina Belova // Shutterstock

#25. Brazil

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 949
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 433,479
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #20 most common country of origin
27 / 50
Photos By Beks // Unsplash

#24. Kenya

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,002
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 141,751
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #48 most common country of origin
28 / 50
Prin Adulyatham // Shutterstock

#23. Egypt

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,056
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 191,452
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #40 most common country of origin
29 / 50
Christian Vinces // Shutterstock

#22. Peru

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,058
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 451,076
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #18 most common country of origin
30 / 50
neiljs // Flickr

#21. Ethiopia

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,219
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%

National
- Number of residents: 249,777
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #34 most common country of origin
31 / 50
Pixabay

#20. Dominican Republic

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,329
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%

National
- Number of residents: 1,118,147
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.5%
- #8 most common country of origin
32 / 50
Viacheslav Lopatin // Shutterstock

#19. Russia

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,452
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%

National
- Number of residents: 391,641
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #22 most common country of origin
33 / 50
Saqib Rizvi // Shutterstock

#18. Pakistan

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,497
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.1%

National
- Number of residents: 376,127
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #25 most common country of origin
34 / 50
agchinook // Shutterstock

#17. Venezuela

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,501
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.1%

National
- Number of residents: 349,720
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #27 most common country of origin
35 / 50
GoodFreePhotos

#16. Malaysia

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,666
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.2%

National
- Number of residents: 76,521
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #74 most common country of origin
36 / 50
Unsplash

#15. Japan

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 2,059
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.4%

National
- Number of residents: 345,140
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #29 most common country of origin
37 / 50
Max Pixel

#14. Germany

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 2,166
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%

National
- Number of residents: 560,368
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.3%
- #17 most common country of origin
38 / 50
Quangpraha // Pixabay

#13. Vietnam

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 2,541
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.8%

National
- Number of residents: 1,336,988
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.0%
- #6 most common country of origin
39 / 50
Kobby Dagan // Shutterstock

#12. Guatemala

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 2,652
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%

National
- Number of residents: 979,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.2%
- #10 most common country of origin
40 / 50
Kys951 // Wikimedia Commons

#11. South Korea

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 2,669
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%

National
- Number of residents: 1,044,634
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.4%
- #9 most common country of origin
41 / 50
User:Colin // Wikimedia Commons

#10. United Kingdom

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 2,746
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%

National
- Number of residents: 698,612
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%
- #14 most common country of origin
42 / 50
Unsplash

#9. Canada

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 2,881
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.0%

National
- Number of residents: 808,566
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.8%
- #11 most common country of origin
43 / 50
JMRAFFi // Wikimedia Commons

#8. El Salvador

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 3,140
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.2%

National
- Number of residents: 1,381,008
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.1%
- #5 most common country of origin
44 / 50
Marek Poplawski // Shutterstock

#7. Honduras

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 3,592
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.5%

National
- Number of residents: 651,123
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%
- #16 most common country of origin
45 / 50
Joseph Oropel // Shutterstock

#6. Philippines

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 3,692
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.6%

National
- Number of residents: 1,983,939
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.5%
- #4 most common country of origin
46 / 50
OpenUpEd // Flickr

#5. Nigeria

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 6,424
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.5%

National
- Number of residents: 350,272
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #26 most common country of origin
47 / 50
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#4. China

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 7,004
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.9%

National
- Number of residents: 2,162,395
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.9%
- #3 most common country of origin
48 / 50
Cheng Qian // Unsplash

#3. Burma

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 9,078
- Percent of foreign born residents: 6.4%

National
- Number of residents: 147,573
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #47 most common country of origin
49 / 50
Kriangkrai Thitimakorn // Shutterstock

#2. India

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 14,204
- Percent of foreign born residents: 10.0%

National
- Number of residents: 2,561,906
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.8%
- #2 most common country of origin
50 / 50
Jakub Hejtmánek // Wikicommons

#1. Mexico

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area
- Number of residents: 34,682
- Percent of foreign born residents: 24.4%

National
- Number of residents: 11,250,541
- Percent of foreign born residents: 25.6%
- #1 most common country of origin

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