Indians comprised the third-largest group of undocumented immigrants in the United States as of 2021, behind Mexico and El Salvador, said a study by United States-based think tank Pew Research Centre.

Of the 1.05 crore undocumented immigrants residing in the United States in 2021, 7.25 lakh were Indians, the think tank estimated. By comparison, 40.50 lakh were estimated to be Mexicans while 8 lakh were said to be from El Salvador.

The population of undocumented immigrants in the United States peaked in 2007, at 1.22 crore.

“Among countries with the largest numbers of US unauthorized immigrants, India, Brazil, Canada and former Soviet Union countries all experienced growth from 2017 to 2021,” the think tank said on its website.

The Pew Research Centre’s estimates say that between 2007 and 2021, the population of undocumented immigrants in the United States decreased by 1.75 million, or 14%. On the other hand, legal immigration increased by more than 8 million, a 29% increase.

Further, the number of naturalised United States citizens grew by 49% between 2007 and 2021.

Pew Research Centre’s methodology involved first estimating the total number of immigrants living in the United States during a particular year, based on data from censuses and government surveys. It then calculated the number of documented immigrants living in the country using official data on immigrant and refugee admissions along with data on deaths and out-migration.

The number of legal immigrants was then subtracted from the total immigrant population to arrive at the number of undocumented ones.