Canada, Latvia, US top study picks for Indian students abroad: NITI Aayog

NITI Aayog data shows Canada hosts the most Indian students, with overseas enrolment topping 1.335 million in 2024 and spending reaching Rs 2.9 trillion.

Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany have emerged as the top five international higher education destinations for Indian students, while Latvia has the highest share of Indian students among its international student population, according to a report released by NITI Aayog on Monday.

 

In 2024, Canada hosted the largest number of Indian students, with 427,000 travelling to the country for higher education. The US followed with 337,630 Indian students, while the UK hosted 185,000. Australia received 122,202 Indian students and Germany 42,997, the report said.

 

India, the report noted, remains the world’s largest source country of international students, with more than 1.335 million Indians studying overseas in 2024. It also has the largest higher education age cohort globally, with 155 million people in the 18–23 age group. 

“In 2024, for every one international student coming to India, 28 Indian students went abroad,” the report said, pointing to the scale of outward student mobility.

 

Key points from the report

 

Total Indian students studying overseas in 2024: 1.335 million

Indian students in Canada (2024): 427,000

Indian students in the US (2024): 337,630

Indian students in the UK (2024): 185,000

Indian students in Australia (2024): 122,202

Indian students in Germany (2024): 42,997

 

Combined Indian students in Canada, US, UK and Australia: About 850,000

 

Estimated spend by Indian students abroad (2023–24): Rs 2.9 trillion

 

Highest share of Indian students by destination:

Latvia: 17.4 per cent

Ireland: 15.3 per cent

Germany: 10.1 per cent

 

Top Indian states sending students abroad (2020 data):

Andhra Pradesh: 35,614

Punjab: 33,412

Maharashtra: 29,079

 

Outward remittances under LRS for education:

2014: Rs 975 crore

2024: Rs 29,000 crore

 

Top source countries of foreign students in India (2021–22):

Nepal

Afghanistan

United States

Bangladesh

United Arab Emirates

 

Where are Indian students going

 

According to the report, Canada, the US, the UK and Australia together hosted about 850,000 Indian students, who spent Rs 2.9 trillion on higher education during 2023–24.

 

It also recorded a high concentration of Indian students in some smaller European destinations. Latvia had the highest share, with Indians accounting for 17.4 per cent of its international student population, followed by Ireland at 15.3 per cent and Germany at 10.1 per cent.

 

State-level data, based on figures from 2020, showed Andhra Pradesh as the largest source of Indian students going overseas, with 35,614 students. Punjab followed with 33,412, while Maharashtra sent 29,079 students abroad for higher education.

 

The report also pointed to a sharp rise in outward remittances by Indian students under the Reserve Bank of India’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme. Annual remittances increased from Rs 975 crore in 2014 to Rs 29,000 crore in 2024.

 

Who is coming to India to study

 

On inbound mobility, the report presented data for the 2021–22 academic year. Nepal, Afghanistan, the US, Bangladesh and the UAE were the top source countries for foreign students studying in India during this period.

 

What did the authors and policymakers say

 

The report, titled Internationalisation of Higher Education in India, was released by senior NITI Aayog leadership, including Vice Chairman Suman Bery and Member (Education) V.K. Paul.

 

“The internationalisation of higher education has both a business case and a diplomatic case, particularly as an instrument of soft power,” said Bery at the launch.

 

Paul linked the findings to the rollout of the National Education Policy and India’s longer-term development goals, placing the report within the framework of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

 

The publication is the outcome of a collaboration between NITI Aayog and an IIT Madras–led consortium of knowledge partners. It draws on survey responses from 160 Indian higher education institutions across 24 states, a national workshop held at IIT Madras earlier this year with 140 participants, and interviews with experts from 30 international institutions across 16 countries.