Many Indian students turn abroad every year for higher education. But this year, the number of Indian students going abroad for higher education has declined in 2024. According to the report, the biggest decline has been seen in Canada, UK and US. The data of the Immigration Bureau shows that the number of Indian students traveling to these three countries for education in 2024 has declined by 27%.
However, according to data, students have taken more admissions in countries like Russia, Germany and Uzbekistan this year. According to data, Canada, U.K. And U.S. The total number of Indians studying has fallen by 164,370 in just one year. Canada alone saw a decline of 41%, which declined from 233,532 in 2023 to 137,608 in 2024. U.K. And U.S. There has also been a significant decline of 27% and 13%. Due to this sharp fall, the number of Indians studying abroad in 2023 was 8,92,989, which will be reduced to 7,59,064 in 2024. In this way, the total number of Indian students will decrease by 15%.
Last year, Canada’s decision to tighten the student visa rules has had a significant impact on Indian students, due to which visa rejections have increased, applications were investigated and the study permit was likely to be canceled.
This decline is seen in the backdrop of increasing diplomatic tension between the two countries. In October 2023, Canada withdrew 41 diplomats from India as New Delhi demanded ‘equality’ in diplomatic presence amid controversy over the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The relationship worsened in October 2024, when the two countries expelled each other’s diplomats amid allegations and counter-allegations related to Nijjar’s murder.
Indian students moving to these countries
According to the data, a significant increase in the number of Indian students going to Russia has been seen in the last three years. While 19,784 students went to Russia in 2022, in 2023 the number increased to 23,503 and in 2024 to 31,444.
Similarly, the number of Indian students going to France has also increased. In 2022, 6,406 students went to France, which increased to 7,484 in 2023 and 8,536 in 2024.
The number of Indian students in Germany has also increased. In 2024, 34,702 students went to Germany, while 23,296 in 2023 and 20,684 students in 2022 reached there. The number of Indian students in New Zealand has also increased rapidly. In 2022, where 1,605 students went to New Zealand, in 2024 this number increased to 7,297.
However, there has been a slight decrease in the number of Indian students in the Philippines. In 2022, where 11,261 students went to the Philippines, in 2024 the number decreased to 8,101.