The number of Indians going to Canada, the US and the UK for studies recorded a 27% decline in one year, from 604,926 in 2023 to 440,556 in 2024, the Union education ministry informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The decline in these three countries has surpassed the overall decline of 15% in Indians going abroad for studies, which fell from 892,989 to 759,064 in the same period.
While traditional destinations saw steep falls, several other countries registered significant increases in Indian students. Germany attracted 34,702 more students, while Uzbekistan and Bangladesh saw rises of 9,915 and 8,864 respectively.
According to the data, the total number of Indians heading to Canada, the UK and the US fell by 164,370, but the overall drop in outbound students is 133,925, reflecting the shift to alternative study destinations.
Canada was a particularly stark example, given the backdrop of the diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and Delhi. According to the data, the number of Indians heading to Canada for studies dropped by 44%, falling from 233,532 in 2023 to 137,608 in 2024.
These come after the diplomatic tensions that began to spiral after September, 2023 when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being behind a conspiracy that led to the murder of a Canadian national – Sikh separatism activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – triggering a deep diplomatic spat. In October 2023, Canada recalled 41 diplomats from India after the Indian government announced plans to revoke their diplomatic immunity and withdraw security protections for their families.
{{/usCountry}}These come after the diplomatic tensions that began to spiral after September, 2023 when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being behind a conspiracy that led to the murder of a Canadian national – Sikh separatism activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – triggering a deep diplomatic spat. In October 2023, Canada recalled 41 diplomats from India after the Indian government announced plans to revoke their diplomatic immunity and withdraw security protections for their families.
{{/usCountry}}At the same time, the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, a government department dealing with foreign students, made its policies stricter by providing greater authority to cancel study and work permits under specific conditions.
Similarly, student migration to the UK declined by 27% from 136,921 to 98,890, while the US saw a 13% drop from 234,473 to 204,058 during the same period.
Broadly, 2024 was the only other year apart from 2020 since 2019 when the number of Indians seeking to study abroad has only grown.
The data was shared in response to queries by ET Mohammed Basheer, IUML MP from Kerala’s Malappuram. MoS for Education Sukanta Majumdar shared Bureau of Immigration data on Indians who cited “Study/Education” as their purpose of travel abroad.
The US, home to prestigious institutions such as MIT, Stanford, Harvard, and UC Berkeley, also witnessed a decline in Indian students in 2024.
Last year, the UK government announced that international students starting courses from January 2024 will no longer be able to bring family members on all but postgraduate research courses and courses with government-funded scholarships.