Why Trump's immigrant welfare list names Pak, China but not India: Decoded

Donald Trump shared welfare data on immigrants from 120 countries, but India was missing. Income and education data explain why

US President Donald Trump on Sunday shared a chart listing countries whose immigrants receive welfare or public assistance in the United States, a compilation that included Pakistan, Bhutan, China, Bangladesh and Nepal but did not include India.

 

The chart, titled ‘Immigrant welfare recipient rates by country of origin’, was posted on Trump’s Truth Social account. It covers about 120 countries and territories and shows the share of immigrant households receiving some form of assistance, based on country of birth.

 

Among the countries listed were Bangladesh, where 54.8 per cent of immigrant households were shown as receiving assistance, Pakistan at 40.2 per cent, Nepal at 34.8 per cent, China at 32.9 per cent, Israel/Palestine at 25.9 per cent, Ukraine at 42.7 per cent and Asia (not elsewhere classified or not specified) at 38.8 per cent.

 

India did not feature anywhere on the chart.

 

Why does India not appear on the list?

 

India’s absence from the list is tied to income patterns among Indian Americans, who consistently rank among the highest-earning ethnic groups in the United States. Public datasets show lower reliance on welfare and assistance programmes compared with many other immigrant groups.

 

Data from the Pew Research Centre shows that Indian Americans have among the highest median household incomes in the country, which helps explain why they do not appear among groups with higher assistance uptake.

 

Indian-American data

 

An estimated 5.2 million people in the United States identified as Indian in 2023, based on US Census Bureau estimates cited by Pew. Indian Americans are the second-largest Asian origin population in the country, accounting for about 21 per cent of the overall Asian population.

 

The category includes people who trace their origins to India, whether they were born in India, the United States or elsewhere. It also includes those who identify as Indian alone, which makes up 91 per cent of the population, as well as those who identify as Indian in combination with another race, ethnicity or Asian origin.

 

What does income data show about Indian Americans?

 

Income data helps explain the low visibility of Indian households in welfare-related charts.

 

• The median annual income of Indian-headed households was $151,200 in 2023.

• Among Asian-headed households overall, the median was $105,600.

• Households with an Indian immigrant household head reported a higher median income than those with a US-born Indian household head, at $156,000 versus $120,200.

 

On an individual basis, earnings are also higher.

 

• The median annual personal earnings of Indian Americans aged 16 and older were $85,300 in 2023.

• Among Asians overall, the comparable figure was $52,400.

• Among full-time, year-round workers, Indians had median earnings of $106,400, compared with $75,000 for Asians overall.

 

How do education levels affect outcomes?

 

Educational attainment among Indian Americans is also higher than the Asian average, which feeds into employment and income outcomes.

 

• Seventy-seven per cent of Indian Americans aged 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

• This includes 31 per cent with a bachelor’s degree and 45 per cent with an advanced degree.

• Among Asians overall, 56 per cent have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

• Similar shares of immigrant and US-born Indians hold a bachelor’s degree or more, at 77 per cent and 76 per cent respectively.

 

What do poverty and homeownership figures show?

 

Lower poverty rates further explain why Indian households rarely appear in welfare-heavy datasets.

 

• Six per cent of Indians in the US live in poverty, compared with 10 per cent among Asians overall.

• The poverty rate is the same for immigrant and US-born Indians, at 6 per cent each.

 

Homeownership levels are broadly in line with Asian averages.

 

• Sixty-two per cent of Indian-headed households own their homes, the same as Asian-headed households overall.

• Homeownership is higher among Indian immigrant households than among those headed by US-born Indians, at 63 per cent versus 54 per cent.

 

Taken together, these figures explain why India does not appear on Trump’s list of immigrant groups with higher rates of welfare or assistance use in the United States.