Anti-Indian Racism Surges in US, New Data Shows
New data reveals a sharp rise in racist attacks against Indians in the US, with slurs up 109% since 2023.
A new report has documented a sharp escalation in racist abuse against Indians and other South Asians in the United States, with the community now emerging as the largest target of anti-Asian hatred. The study, released on Thursday by the monitoring group Stop AAPI Hate, found that the use of anti-South Asian slurs rose by 109% between January 2023 and December 2025.
The findings paint a grim picture for the community. In 2025 alone, 48% of South Asian adults reported experiencing a hate act due to their race or ethnicity. While nearly half suffered racial harassment, 14% reported physical harm. The data, based on surveys by Moonshot and NORC at the University of Chicago, also revealed that anti-South Asian slurs accounted for 66% of all anti-Asian slurs online during the same period, amounting to over 1.3 million instances.
The surge in hostility has coincided with the rise of prominent Indian Americans in politics. US Second Lady Usha Vance has been a frequent target of white supremacist Nick Fuentes, who has attacked her Hindu heritage and condemned her husband, Vice President JD Vance, as a "race traitor." Other figures, including former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have also faced intense online abuse. Data showed a 238% spike in anti-Muslim and anti-South Asian slurs targeting Mamdani during his election campaign.
Federal data from the FBI released last month showed a 10% reduction in hate crimes against Asians overall, but independent researchers argue the official numbers understate the problem. The FBI report did note a 24.6% rise in crimes against Sikhs and a 12% increase against Hindus. Analysts point to the debate over H-1B visas, which are largely granted to Indians, and resentment over immigration as key drivers of the trend. The spike in hate has also been linked to political events, including the entry of Indian-origin Kamala Harris into the presidential race and the recent Diwali greetings posted by prominent Indian American officials.