Foreign Indians may be distinguished in terms of residency status. Citizens of the Republic of India are called 'Indian nationals', or even 'Indian Indians'. In addition, there are many ethnic Indian immigrant workers in Singapore. They are usually the locally-born and nativised second, third, fourth or even fifth generation descendants of settlers from the Indian subcontinent. Most ethnic Indians are Singapore citizens, known in local parlance as 'Singaporean Indians', or 'local Indians'. Indians 'in Singapore' may be further defined in terms of nationality and residency status. The Singapore Department of Statistics defines 'Indians' as a ' race' (or ' ethnic group'), comprising ' persons of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan origin such as Telugus, Tamils, Malayalis, Punjabis, Bengalis, Sinhalese etc.'

Indian Singaporeans are also collectively well represented, in areas such as politics, education, diplomacy and the law. Prominent individuals of South Asian descent have long made a mark in Singapore as leaders of various fields in national life. Several in-depth studies have been conducted and published in the recent years on the Indian communities in Singapore such as Rajesh Rai's, Indians in Singapore, 1819 -1945: Diaspora in the Colonial Port City, Anitha Devi Pillai's, From Kerala to Singapore: Voices from the Singapore Malayalee Community, Mathew Mathews, The Singapore Ethnic Mosaic, S A Nathanji's Singapore: Nation Building and Indians' Legacy amongst others. Low-cost carriers, cable television and the Internet now connect the Indian Singaporean community with the culture of India and the Indian diaspora. Since then, new immigrants have increased the size and complexity of the local Indian population. By the 1990s, it had grown somewhat distinct from contemporary South Asian cultures, even as Indian elements became diffused within a broader Singaporean culture. The Indo-Singaporean culture has endured and evolved over almost 200 years. Indian Singaporeans are linguistically and religiously diverse, with ethnic Tamils and Hindus forming majorities. By the mid-20th century, a settled community had emerged, with a more balanced gender ratio and a better spread of age groups. Initially, the Indian population was transient, mainly comprising young men who came as workers, soldiers and convicts.

While contact with ancient India left a deep impact on Singapore's indigenous Malay culture, the mass settlement of Indians on the island only began with the founding of modern Singapore by the British in 1819. Indian Singaporeans are Singaporeans of Indian or South Asian ancestry, which constitutes 9.0% of the country's citizens, making them the third largest ancestry and ethnic group in Singapore.

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