India, April 2 -- India's most consequential contribution to the world isn't a product, a service, or even a technology platform. It is people. Indian workers, entrepreneurs, scientists, physicians, investors, and public leaders now shape economies far beyond India's borders. They staff hospitals in rich countries, build companies in frontier sectors, sit atop global firms and universities, and increasingly influence how India itself is understood abroad.

The new report on the Indian diaspora released last week by the global organisation Indiaspora estimates the Indian diaspora at 35 million people across more than 200 countries, with formal annual earnings of roughly $730 billion and remittances to India of $138 billion - the highest in...