Gujaratis have a long tradition of seafaring and a history of overseas migration to foreign lands, to Yemen[5]Oman[6]Bahrain,[7] Kuwait, Zanzibar[8] and other countries in the Persian Gulf[9] since a mercantile culture resulted naturally from the state's proximity to the Arabian Sea.[10] The countries with the largest Gujarati populations are Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States,[2] Canada,[3] the Caribbean, Fiji[4] and many countries in Southern and East Africa.[11] Globally, Gujaratis are estimated to constitute around 33% of the Indian diaspora worldwide and can be found in 129 of 190 countries listed as sovereign nations by the United Nations.[1]Non Resident Gujaratis (NRGs) maintain active links with the homeland in the form of business, remittance, philanthropy, and through their political contribution to state governed domestic affairs.[12][13][14]
Gujaratis in the diaspora are prominent entrepreneurs and industrialists and maintain high social capital.[15] Gujarati parents in the diaspora are not comfortable with the possibility of their language not surviving them.[16] In a study, 80% of Malayali parents felt that "children would be better off with English", compared to 36% of Kannada parents and only 19% of Gujarati parents.[16]
^ abcdeChidanand Rajghatta. "Global Gujaratis: Now in 129 nations". The economic times. Retrieved 21 October 2015. A lot of the spread worldwide took place after a pit-stop in East Africa, right across the sea from Gujarat. When Idi Amin turfed out some 100,000 Indians (mostly Gujaratis) from Uganda in 1972, most of them descended on Britain before peeling off elsewhere.
^Pedro Machado (2014). Ocean of Trade: South Asian merchants, Africa and the Indian Ocean, c. 1750 - 1850. Cambridge University Press. p. 20. ISBN978-1-107-07026-4. Retrieved 4 February 2015. Hindu Vaniya networks from Kathiawar, in particular, operated prominently in the region, and directed their trade primarily to Yemen, and Hadramawt. They were also active in the early eighteenth century in the southern Red Sea, where Mocha and other ports such as Aden provided them with their principal markets
^Cordell Crownover (2014-10-05). Ultimate Handbook Guide to Muscat : (Oman) Travel Guide. Retrieved 4 February 2015. As an important port-town in the Gulf of Oman, Muscat attracted foreign tradesman and settlers, such as the Persians, the Balochs and Gujaratis.
^Andrew Gardner (1969). City of Strangers: Gulf Migration and the Indian Community in Bahrain. Cornell University Press. p. 77. ISBN978-0-8014-7602-0. Retrieved 4 February 2015. Other Indian groups with a long-standing presence in Bahrain include the Gujarati businessmen whose enterprises historically centered on the trade of gold; the Bohra community, an Indian Muslim sect with a belief system particularly configured around business...
^Ababu Minda Yimene (2004). An African Indian Community in Hyderabad: Siddi Identity, Its Maintenance and Change. Cuvillier Verlag. pp. 66, 67. ISBN978-3-86537-206-2. Retrieved 4 February 2015. Some centuries later, the Gujarati merchants established permanent trading posts in Zanzibar, consolidating their influence in the Indian Ocean... Gujarati Muslims, and their Omani partners, engaged in a network of mercantile activities among Oman, Zanzibar and Bombay. Thanks to those mercantile Gujarati, India remained by far the principal trading partner of Zanzibar.
^Irfan Habib (2011). Economic History of Medieval India, 1200-1500. Pearson Education India. p. 166. ISBN978-81-317-2791-1. Retrieved 4 February 2015. In the Persian Gulf, Hurmuz (Hormuz), was the most important entrepot for the international exchange for goods which were either bartered or purchased with money. The rise of Hurmuz in the thirteenth century followed the decline of the neighbouring entrepot of Qays, where there was a community of Gujarati Bohra merchants
^Paul R. Magocsi (1999). Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples. University of Toronto Press. p. 631. ISBN978-0-8020-2938-6. Retrieved 4 February 2015. Gujarat's proximity to the Arabian Sea has been responsible for the ceaseless mercantile and maritime activities of its people. Through the ports of Gujarat, some of which date back to the dawn of history, trade and commerce flourished, and colonizers left for distant lands.
^Gujaratis in the West : evolving identities in contemporary society. Mukadam, Anjoom A., Mawani, Sharmina. Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars Pub. 2007. ISBN9781847183682. OCLC233491089.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^Premal Balan & Kalpesh Damor (17 June 2015). "Thanks to NRIs, 3 small Gujarat villages each have Rs 2,000cr bank deposits". the times of india. Retrieved 26 October 2015. No wonder bank hoardings flashing interest rates for NRI deposits (up to 10%) is a common sight in these villages. "Some villages in Kutch like Madhapar and Baladia have very high NRI deposits. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest in the country," said K C Chippa, former convener of the State Level Banker's Committee (SLBC) Gujarat. Between them, Madhapar, Baladia and Kera have 30 bank branches and 24 ATMs.
^Piyush Mishra (July 2015). "NRI deposits in Gujarat cross Rs 50K crore mark". the times of India. Retrieved 26 October 2015. Gujaratis form 33% of the Indian diaspora and Gujarat is among the top five states in the country in terms of NRI deposits. RBI data shows there was a little over $115 billion (about Rs 7 lakh crore) in NRI accounts in India in 2014-15, with Gujarat accounting for 7.78% of the kitty.
