Datanomics: Iran accounts for nearly 20% of Indian students in West Asia

From 2015 to 2025 so far, around eight countries in the world have experienced war-type conflicts

The Indian government has evacuated over 100 students from Iran amid its ongoing conflict with Israel. Despite tensions in West Asia, Iran’s share of Indian students in the top six West Asian nations saw a surge in 2024 compared to 2022,  while Kuwait witnessed a slight increase. Others, including Israel, witnessed a decline.

 

Since 2015, around eight countries in the world have experienced conflicts. The overall non-resident Indian (NRI) population has significantly declined in war-torn countries such as Ukraine, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Haiti.

 

Indian students flock to UAE, Iran

 

In 2024, the UAE (57 per cent), Iran (18 per cent), and Israel (8 per cent) accounted for the highest share of Indian students pursuing education in West Asian countries.

 

 

Indian students wary of conflict-torn countries

 

From 2021 to 2024, five countries in the world experienced some form of conflict. Of these, Ukraine, Israel, and Sudan witnessed a decline in the number of Indian students in the next year following the onset of the war. The latest data for Haiti after civil unrest is unavailable.

 

 

Indian operations in last three decades

 

India has conducted nearly 11 evacuation operations to bring back its citizens over the past three and a half decades. Eight of these took place in the past 10 years, highlighting the growing frequency of geopolitical conflicts. Among them, Operation Ganga launched in 2022, evacuated 18,000 Indian nationals from Ukraine, making it the second-largest rescue operation after 1990s’ Operation Airlift launched during the Gulf War.