India's Emigrant Epidemic: From 1,000 AQI to Water Crisis--Reasons Rich People are Leaving India

Key Points:

INDIA, OFTEN REFERRED to as one of the fastest-growing economies and currently ranked sixth in the world, is also the country with the largest emigrant population. A 2024 report by Henley Private Wealth Migration stated that India was at risk of losing 4,300 millionaires. The report identified India as one of the top countries that loses a significant number of high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) every year. But why? 

India's rampant corruption is just one of the reasons behind its inability to provide adequate infrastructure and other essential facilities to its citizens. The nation's current crisis stems from a series of issues, including corruption, lack of transparency, and decentralisation of power.

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These problems are just the tip of the iceberg, leading even ordinary citizens to struggle to access proper healthcare and other basic services. Indian roads and potholes seem to share a deeper relationship, despite crores of rupees allegedly being spent on fixing them. 

India's wealthy citizens leaving and settling abroad is not a new phenomenon. On June 24, 2025, the Henley Private Wealth Migration Report stated that India lost a significant number of its high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), defined as those possessing more than $1 million in liquid assets.

According to the report, 9,400 HNIs moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while 7,500 millionaires relocated to the United States of America. This migration pattern sheds light on a broader reality, telling the story of an India that falls short of the expectations associated with a country that claims to be the world's sixth-largest economy. 

Pollution and India's Gas Chambers

India also ranks as the fifth most polluted country in the world, according to statistics from IQAir. The nation's heart, Delhi, recorded AQI levels exceeding 1,000 in several regions during November and December 2025, leading to widespread protests. The Delhi pollution protests became a nationwide topic of discussion, with protesters demanding accountability and reforms from their leaders to address the situation.

The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth stated that Delhi's residents are choking due to severe pollution, noting that breathing the city's air is roughly equal to smoking nine cigarettes a day. A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health reported that pollution has resulted in approximately 1.5 million deaths in India each year. 

Contaminated Water Crisis of India

India's battle with pollution is not the only crisis at hand currently. Other issues, such as India's sewage mismanagement, have become a vital problem, leading to deteriorating public health, the environment, and urban infrastructure.

Rapid urbanisation in the country and the rise in migration to rural cities have worsened India's sewage problem, giving birth to various water-borne diseases. The Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI) reported that, in 2018 alone, 2,439 people died due to water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, viral hepatitis, and acute diarrheal diseases. 

In January 2026, a major water contamination crisis broke out in Bhagirathpura, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, when more than 400 patients were admitted to hospitals after suffering from diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water. Over the past five years, India has recorded around 17 million cases of water-borne diseases, with diarrhoea affecting the largest number of people in the country. 

India Facing public health crisis

Food safety concerns are another key issue facing India. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has flagged major food safety concerns, stating that some food items can have hazardous effects on one's health.

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Public health crises arising from the rising population and the lack of proper infrastructure also remain a serious challenge. India witnessed all three during the pandemic, when the surge in COVID-19 patients shed light on how the country lacked hospital beds and oxygen cylinders during an emergency health crisis. 

Today, India ranks 45th in the health index, 28th in infrastructure, 5th in pollution, 101st in education, 151st in press freedom, and 39th in corruption. With a population of 1,475,940,417, a significant number of India's high-net-worth individuals seem to be moving abroad, while the nation continues to lack basic facilities even in 2026. 

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