South Asian Americans


South Asian Americans also known as are Americans of South Asian ancestry. South Asian American people can usually trace back their heritage to Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Background

Demographics

South Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing groups in the United States, increasing in population from 2.2 million to 4.9 million from 2000 to 2015. Around one third of the group lives in the Southern United States, with the population nearly tripling in the South between 2000 to 2017.
Following is the list of South Asian diasporas living in the USA arranged according to their 2017 population estimated by United States Census Bureau.

Arts and entertainment

Comedian and actor Hari Kondabolu has been described as one of the most successful South Asians performing in the US.

Government and politics

In 2017, Ravi Bhalla became the mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, the first Sikh to be elected to the position.

Cultural influence

Education

South Asian Americans are often overrepresented as university graduates in US census data.

Organizations

There are a number of organizations formed by and for the representation of South Asian Americans in a number of fields and industries, including in alphabetical order:
In 2019, South Asian Americans were typically enrolled as Democrats.
Until July 2nd, 1946, South Asians were banned from holding citizenship in the United States. See below.

Customs and traditions

Marriage

is still observed in some South Asian American families and communities throughout the United States.

Sports

Although not especially popular in the US, cricket is widely appreciated and played by South Asian American youth, as is the case in the United Kingdom's South Asian communities.

Social and political issues

LGBT communities

It has been reported in American media that the group has certain stigmas in relation to the LGBT communities.

Politics in South Asia

In 2019, some American students of South Asian heritage protested the Citizenship Act, 2019, passed in the Parliament of India. In the same year, a group of South Asian Americans petitioned the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to cancel a planned award for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Poverty

Among South Asians in the US, Bhutanese Americans have the highest poverty rates by a significant margin, with Bangladeshi Americans and Nepalese Americans the next highest.