A total of 1,335,878 Indian students are currently studying in various international institutions, the Ministry of External Affairs informed Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The top five countries hosting the highest number of Indian students are Canada with 427,000 students, the USA with 337,630 students, the UK with 185,000 students, Australia with 122,202 students, and Germany with 42,997 students.

The MEA disclosed the comprehensive data on the number of Indian students pursuing higher education abroad, in response to a query raised by Dr John Brittas MP in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The data reveals a significant increase in the number of Indian students choosing to study abroad, with the figures nearly doubling over the past six years.

In 2019, the number of Indian students studying abroad was 675,541, which has now surged to 1,335,878 in 2024. This trend highlights the growing preference among Indian students for international education, particularly in countries like Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia, and Germany.

However, the ministry informed that they do not maintain state-wise data for Indian students who have gone abroad for studies in the past five years.