Visiting New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru last week, I came across the latest statistics concerning Indian workers in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council states. The effort is part of a broader — and ongoing — research concerning the welfare of Indian immigrant workers.

Notably, of some 22 million Indians living abroad, including non-resident Indians (NRIs), at least six million — and quite possibly seven million — are in the GCC alone.

To be sure, Southeast Asia rather than the GCC hosts the largest number of immigrant Indian workers. However, their presence is felt visibly in the GCC as it reflects demographic realities as many Southeast Asian nations have sizeable populations compared with the Gulf.

Without a doubt, Indians make up the largest number of overseas workers in the GCC. What’s more, Indians compromise a third of the total population in three GCC countries — Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.

Still, the actual number of Indians could be higher but for the tendency of some Gulf countries to downplay the presence of expatriates at the expense of locals. Certainly, it is anything but normal in the world to have non-locals outnumber nationals, except of course in the GCC. This very fact underscores the openness of Gulf economies in the world stage.

The sizeable presence of Indian workers leaves an imprint on the demographic make-up of the GCC. Gender distribution is about 50;50 among locals, but men end up being the majority in the total population for the mere fact that most immigrant workers — notably those from India — happen to be male.

The salary many of them receive partly explains the logic of having families stay behind. Understandably, Indians working abroad are expected to send remittances in order to sustain the living standards of loved ones back home.

World Bank statistics confirm that at $69 billion in 2013, India is the largest recipient of remittances. It is widely acknowledged that at least one-third of this amount is generated from the GCC, the largest ensuing from a single entity and a vital source of hard-currency earning.

Incoming remittances compromise around 3 to 4 per cent of the gross national product of India. However, the contribution rises to double-digit in states such as Kerala. Many Indians working in the GCC come from the southern states like Kerala, Seemandhra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, which partly reflects historical trade routes by sea. The importance of remittances increases via the multiplier-effect of money circulating into the local economies.

Undoubtedly, business activities ought to be two-way in order to thrive. Hence, GCC carriers are major beneficiaries from the movement of Indian workers throughout a year. It is believed that Emirates is the largest foreign carrier for outgoing fights from India. Others like Etihad, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air and flydubai operate flights to numerous cities across the subcontinent.

The air link between the two sides was further consolidated in 2013 when regulatory authorities in India cleared a strategic partnership between Etihad and Jet Airways. Etihad had agreed to inject a fresh capital $200 million.

Nevertheless, prospects of job opportunities for Indians will encounter numerous challenges including the trend towards localisation of jobs in the GCC. While not imminent, the proposal of placing a cap on the number of years a foreign worker can stay in the GCC keeps emerging every now and then.

The writer is a Member of Parliament in Bahrain.