According to data released by Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, the number of Indian students who study abroad climbed by 68.79% in the previous year. According to information he submitted in the Lok Sabha, there were 7.5 lakh Indian students registered in overseas universities in 2022 compared to 4.44 lakh in 2021.
In answer to a query from MPs regarding the overall number of Indians leaving the country to pursue higher education overseas, Sarkar released the information in question.
He made it clear that although the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration keep track of Indians’ arrivals and departures, there is no index that includes the group of Indians who travel overseas for higher education.
According to either their verbal confession or the type of visa of the destination country they produced when undergoing immigration clearance, Sarkar said, “Purpose of Indians going overseas for higher study is collected manually.”
The number of Indian citizens climbed from 4.54 lakh in 2017 to 5.17 lakh in 2018, according to data published by the government. 5.86 lakh students left the country in 2019, which was also a considerable increase.
However, as a result of the COVID pandemic, there were much fewer Indian students enrolled at overseas universities (2.59 lakh). Even though it remained low, the number increased somewhat in 2021 to 4.44 lakh registrations.
But by 2022, the number had dramatically increased to 7.5 lakh. According to the most recent immigration reports from some of the most popular study-abroad countries, including the US, UK, and Australia, there are more Indian people living abroad.
According to the UK’s Immigration Statistics Report, 127,731 visas were issued to Indian students in September 2022, up from 34,261 in 2019 by a whopping 93,470 (+273%). Similar trends have occurred in the US, where the number of Indian students has more than doubled.
According to the Open Doors Report 2022, in 2022–2033, the number of Indian students enrolling in American universities will likely surpass that of Chinese students.
