US President Donald Trump took to social media to highlight a list of 120 countries that receive welfare and public assistance in the United States. However, one particular country was conspicuously absent from his list, India.
Now, one interpretation could be that the US President was subtly appreciating India. Indian immigrants in the United States are among the immigrant groups with the lowest rates of welfare and public assistance use, a trend that reflects their overall socio-economic profile. Many Indian immigrants arrive on skilled work visas and are employed in fields such as technology, medicine, engineering, and other professional sectors. High levels of education, strong workforce participation, and relatively high household incomes contribute to their lower reliance on government programs.
READ: Venezuela crisis drives investors toward gold as dollar holds firm (
Reportedly, according to the data shared by Trump, some countries showed very high levels of welfare use among immigrant households, Bhutan was at the top of the list, with 81.4 per cent of immigrant households receiving assistance, Yemen followed at 75.2 per cent, Somalia at 71.9 per cent, and the Marshall Islands at 71.4 per cent. The Dominican Republic and Afghanistan were both listed at 68.1 per cent, while Congo, Guinea, Samoa (1940–1950), and Cape Verde also appeared among the top ten.
Compared with immigrant groups from regions such as Central America or Africa, Indian immigrants consistently show lower rates of enrollment in programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and housing assistance, though exact numbers and comparisons may vary by dataset. Even when compared with the native-born population, Indian immigrants’ use of welfare programs is relatively low.
Reportedly, Indian-American households are among the highest earners in the country, according to a recent Pew Research Center analysis of US Census Bureau and American Community Survey (ACS) data from 2021 to 2023 In 2023.
The data on immigrant welfare use highlights how economic, educational, and occupational factors influence reliance on public assistance in the United States. Indian immigrants, in particular, exemplify a broader pattern in which highly educated, skilled, and economically established communities demonstrate relatively low dependence on government programs. This trend underscores the connection between workforce participation, income levels, and social support needs.
At the same time, the wide variation in welfare participation across different immigrant groups illustrates the diverse experiences and challenges faced by new arrivals. Factors such as access to employment, educational attainment, language proficiency, and migration pathways likely shape how communities interact with public assistance programs.
READ: Trump says US will ‘run’ Venezuela, tap oil after Maduro’s capture (
These patterns also have broader implications for policy and public discourse. Understanding which groups rely more or less on government support can help explain economic integration trends. It also challenges simplistic narratives that portray immigrants uniformly as dependent on welfare.
The data reflects that immigrant communities are heterogeneous in economic outcomes and social needs, and emphasizes the importance of nuanced, evidence-based approaches to evaluating public assistance, integration policies, and the contributions of different immigrant populations.
High levels of education and professional skill sets can reduce reliance on welfare. Observing these trends over time could provide valuable insights into the intersection of immigration, economic self-sufficiency, and public assistance usage.