Data shows drop in number of Indians pursuing higher education abroad
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Data presented by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in the winter session of Parliament indicates that more than 18 lakh Indian students are currently studying in 153 countries. The figures show that a little over 12.5 lakh of them are enrolled in universities and other tertiary institutions, while for the first time, the Ministry has also reported 6.28 lakh students studying at the school level abroad.
The MEA had earlier recorded 13.3 lakh Indian students in higher education alone, so the new numbers suggest a decline in university enrolments compared to last year. The overall total appears higher only because school-level data have now been included.
In 2025, the UAE, the United States, and Canada emerged as the leading destinations for Indian students across both schooling and higher education. The UAE hosted about 2.53 lakh students, the US around 2.55 lakh, and Canada roughly 4.27 lakh, placing them among the biggest global hubs for Indian learners, Indian Express reported.
The Ministry’s records also reveal a pattern: the number of Indian students pursuing higher education abroad rose steadily from 7.5 lakh in 2022, to 9.3 lakh in 2023, and further to 13.3 lakh in 2024. The 2025 figure of 12.54 lakh, however, marks the first drop after three years of continuous growth.
This shift comes at a time when several major destination countries have introduced policy changes and experienced diplomatic tensions that have influenced student mobility.
Country-specific data for 2025 shows that Canada continues to host the highest number of Indian students in universities and other tertiary institutions, with 4,27,085 enrolments. The United States follows with around 2,55,247 students, and the United Kingdom has nearly 1,73,190 students in higher education. Other popular destinations include Australia with 1,38,579 Germany with about 49,483, Georgia with 16,000, Kyrgyzstan with 16,500, and Russia with 27,000.
The MEA figures also highlight significant concentrations of Indian schoolchildren in the Gulf region, notably in the UAE with 2,47,325 Saudi Arabia with 75,000, Qatar with 47,846, Kuwait with 50,000, and Oman with 44,547. Officials noted that these countries have large Indian expatriate communities, which account for the high school enrolments appearing in the dataset for the first time.