The number of Indian students studying abroad fell by 15 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the numbers shared by the education ministry.
Canada, once a favourite destination for higher education, registered a significant 41 percent decline in the number of students from India in 2024, Parliament was told on Monday.
Indians pursuing studies in Russia increased in 2024 by 34 percent compared to 2023, the education ministry said, The Print reported.
As many as 7,50, 365 students were studying abroad in 2022. This number went up to 8,92,989 in 2023 but came down to 7,59,064 in 2024, registering a decrease of 1,33,920 students.
In 2024, the number of students studying in Canada was 1,37,608, a drop of about 95,924 or 41 percent from 2,33,532 in 2023. Canada tightened student visa regulations in 2024, leading to increased visa rejections and cancellation of study permits in the country.
The decline in number of Indian students in Canada comes against the backdrop of diplomatic tensions between the two countries. In October 2023, Canada recalled 41 diplomats from India amid a row over the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Worse, in October 2024, the two countries expelled each other’s diplomats amid accusations and counter-accusations related to Nijjar’s killing.
Not just Canada, but countries like United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and Australia have also registered a decline in number of Indians in 2024.
The number of Indian students in the US came down from 2,34,473 in 2023 to 204,058 in 2024. The United States saw a change of guard with Donald Trump replacing Joe Biden as the US President. The decline in the number of students heading to US might as well be due to the uncertainties with the new administration in place.
Similarly, the number of Indian students studying in the UK has come down from 1,36,921 in 2023 to 98,890 in 2024. This is a decline of about 28 percent in a year’s time. Australia also saw a drop from 78,093 Indian students in 2023 to 68,572 in 2024.
Similarly, the number of Indian students studying in the UK has come down from 1,36,921 in 2023 to 98,890 in 2024. This is a decline of about 28 percent in a year’s time. Australia also saw a drop from 78,093 Indian students in 2023 to 68,572 in 2024.
While the number of students headed to the US, the UK and Candada has come down, those studying in countries like Russia, France and Germany had gone up.
In the case of Russia, there were 19,784 students in 2022. This went up to 23,503 in 2023 and to 31,444 students in 2024. In France too, the number of Indian students went up from 6,406 in 2022 to 8,536 in 2024.
In Germany, the number of students was 34,702 students in 2024 compared to 20,684 in 2022. Similarly, in the case of New Zealand, the number of Indian students rose from 1,605 in 2022 to 7,297 in 2024.
“Studies abroad are a matter of individual will and choice. Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) has been set up by the government in all Indian missions and posts abroad to meet the contingency expenditure incurred by Indian citizens, including Indian students studying abroad,” the ministry noted.
(By arrangement with livemint.com)
