Indians studying abroad fall by 15% in 2024; Russia emerges as popular destination

The Ministry of Education revealed on March 10 that the number of Indians studying overseas fell by about 15% in 2024 compared to the year before, with the largest drop occurring among those who chose Canada—a 41% drop.

In addition, according to ministry data, there were 33.7% more Indian students traveling to Russia last year than there were in 2023.

Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar provided data from the previous three years in the lower house in answer to a query about the number of Indians studying abroad posed by Lok Sabha member and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader E T Mohammed Basheer.

In 2022, over 750,300 Indians were studying overseas, according to the data. In 2023, this figure rose to 892,989, indicating a post-pandemic growth.

But in 2024, it dropped to 759,064, indicating a drop of about 15%. The number of students choosing to study in Canada fell precipitously, according to the data broken down by nation, from 233,532 in 2023 to 137,608 in 2024—a stunning 41% drop.

Indian students have been significantly impacted by Canada's move to tighten student visa requirements last year, which has resulted in higher visa denial rates, more stringent application review, and the possibility of study permit cancellation.

Tensions between India and Canada escalated over the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In October 2023, Canada recalled 41 Indian diplomats, and by October 2024, both nations expelled each other's diplomats following accusations and rebuttals regarding the murder, deepening diplomatic rifts.

Data from the education ministry indicates that fewer Indians are studying abroad in nations like Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

In 2024, there were 204,058 students traveling to the United States, a 12.9% reduction from 234,473 in 2023.

This is probably because many students decided not to study in the US last year owing to uncertainty surrounding the Trump government's policy.

In the UK, the number of students fell from 136,921 in 2023 to 98,890 in 2024—a notable 27.7% decrease—possibly as a result of more stringent post-study work and visa requirements.

The number of students in Australia decreased by 12% between 2023 and 2024, from 78,093 to 68,572. Recent legislative changes, such as increased visa fees, more stringent procedures, and concern about the affordability of housing, are mostly to blame for this.

The number of Indian students studying in China also decreased, falling from 7,279 in 2023 to 4,978 in 2024.

Over the previous three years, the number of Indian students traveling to Russia has significantly increased, according to the data.

The number of students climbed from 19,784 in 2022 to 23,503 in 2023 and then to 31,444 in 2024.

The number of Indian students studying in France has also increased, rising from 6,406 in 2022 to 7,484 in 2023 and 8,536 in 2024 and beyond.

The number of students in Germany increased as well, rising from 20,684 in 2022 to 34,702 in 2024 from 23,296 in 2023.

The number of students in New Zealand increased significantly as well, from 1,605 in 2022 to 7,297 in 2024.

In the meantime, the number of students in the Philippines decreased slightly, from 11,261 in 2022 to 8,101 in 2024.