Indian Students Studying Abroad – 2024 Snapshot

🔢 Key Statistics

Year Number of Indian Students Abroad

2017 4.5 lakh (450,000)
2018 5.2 lakh (520,000)
2019 5.86 lakh (586,000)
2020 2.59 lakh (259,655) (pandemic impact)
2021 4.44 lakh (444,553)
2022 7.5 lakh (750,000)
2023 9.3 lakh (930,000)
2024 13.35 lakh (1.335 million)

This marks a ~400% growth since 2020, driven by recovery from COVID-19 and greater outbound mobility.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (2024), over 1.3 million Indian students are currently pursuing higher education abroad.

United States: Indian students make up >25% of all international students.

India surpassed China in sending the most students to the U.S. in 2023–24 (first time since 2009).

Germany: Indian student numbers doubled in 5 years, making India the second-largest international student group in the country.

According to India's Bureau of Immigration, Some of top destinations over the past 5 years include USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany and Singapore.
Indian students are increasingly diversifying destinations, with interest rising in Ireland, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.
Indian students are now studying in 240 countries, as per the Ministry of External Affairs.

2024 marks a record high in Indian outbound student mobility.
Canada, USA, UK, and Germany lead as education destinations.
India is now a major global driver in reshaping international education flows
Trends point toward continued diversification of destinations and growing demand for global education experiences.