Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 22: India continues to see a massive outflow of students for higher education, with more than 13.35 lac Indians studying abroad in 2024, according to a report by NITI Aayog released on Monday. The trend underscores the country’s growing reliance on foreign universities despite having the world’s largest population of college-age youth.

The report identifies Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany as the top five destinations for Indian students. Canada emerged as the most popular choice, hosting around 4.27 lac students, followed by the US with 3.37 lac and the UK with 1.85 lakh. Australia and Germany hosted 1.22 lac and nearly 43,000 Indian students, respectively.

Highlighting the scale of India’s youth population, the study notes that nearly 15.5 crore people fall within the 18–23 age group. Yet, the report points to a stark imbalance: for every international student coming to India, roughly 28 Indian students go abroad, indicating a significant brain drain.

Titled ‘Internationalisation of Higher Education in India’, the report also analysed incoming foreign students using 2021–22 data. While outward student mobility is growing rapidly, India continues to attract relatively few international learners.

During 2023–24, Indian students studying in Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia collectively spent nearly Rs 2.9 lac crore on higher education. The report further highlights that some smaller European countries have a high proportion of Indian students: Latvia hosts 17.4% Indian students among its international student population, Ireland 15.3%, and Germany 10.1%, based on 2020 data.