Anti-South Asian hate experienced a substantial increase online between January 2023 and December 2025, with corresponding slurs rising by 109%, according to a September 2026 report titled The State of Anti-South Asian Hate released by Stop AAPI Hate. The research linked this heightened hostility to growing anti-immigrant rhetoric, policies, and a backlash against the increased visibility of South Asians. Online spaces associated with targeted violence saw anti-South Asian slurs jump from 22,996 in January 2023 to 48,033 in December 2025, making up 66% of all anti-Asian slurs in those areas, with terms like “jeet” or “pajeet” accounting for 55%. Furthermore, South Asians accounted for 71% of all anti-Asian threats of violence recorded between August 2024 and December 2025, positioning them as the most frequently threatened Asian regional group in those digital spaces.
Survey Findings on Hate Acts, Locations, and Intersecting Identities:
Stop AAPI Hate’s national survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago in January 2026 among 306 South Asian adults—revealed that 48% of respondents experienced a hate act in 2025 based on their race, ethnicity, or nationality. The share of South Asian adults reporting hate acts rose from 43% in 2023 to 54% in 2024 before staying high at 48% in 2025, with harassment being the most frequently reported type of hate. Additionally, 55% of South Asian adults reported that they or another AAPI person in their community were affected by shifting immigration policies or anti-immigrant sentiment.
When examining where these incidents occurred, online spaces were the most common location at 49%, followed closely by public streets, parks, parking lots, or public transit at 40%, and businesses at 34%. Moreover, 61% of South Asian adults were targeted due to another aspect of their identity alongside their race, ethnicity, or nationality, with religion, immigration status, and class serving as the most commonly targeted additional identities.
Documented Firsthand Accounts and Real-World Impacts:
Reports submitted directly to Stop AAPI Hate’s reporting center in 2025 highlighted numerous real-world incidents across various parts of the United States:
An Indian woman in Texas reported facing racial and anti-immigrant abuse from a customer at her workplace.
An Indian woman in Georgia recounted that a woman at a fast-food restaurant hurled food at their feet, labeled them “murderers” and “rapists,” and threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to deport them to India, despite all of them being US citizens.
An Indian man in Virginia stated that a stranger approached him at a Thai restaurant, used slurs, told him he needed to “go home,” and threatened to wait outside for him and his friend.
Arun, a South Asian rideshare driver in New York, described being followed and physically attacked by another driver after honking; the assailant also made racist remarks, leaving Arun traumatized and suffering from neck and back pain, dizziness, and memory loss that required specialized orthopedic and neurological care.
These incidents carried severe mental, physical, financial, and social consequences, with half of South Asian adults reporting negative health impacts.
Xenophobic Narratives and Broader Societal Factors:
The report indicated that a dominant theme across online posts was the xenophobic narrative of an Indian “invasion” or “great replacement,” which falsely portrayed Indian people as taking jobs away from white individuals. Additionally, ongoing debates surrounding H-1B visas drove substantial increases in anti-South Asian slurs. The findings compiled by Stop AAPI Hate were drawn from online monitoring conducted by Moonshot between 2023 and 2025, their January 2026 national survey, and firsthand accounts reported to their center throughout 2025.
