Prime Highlights-
- India’s foreign student enrolment rises nearly 47 percent in a decade, reaching 58,134 students.
- Nepal remains India’s top source country, contributing 24.1 percent of all foreign enrolments in 2023-24.
Key Facts-
- India hosted students from a record 173 countries in 2023-24, up from 158 countries in 2013-14.
- United Arab Emirates, United States and Bangladesh emerge as new leading source countries alongside Nepal.
Background-
India’s foreign student enrolment has grown nearly 47 per cent over the past decade, with Nepal holding its position as the country’s largest source of international students throughout the period.
Ministry of Education data shows Indian universities and colleges enrolled 58,134 foreign students from 173 countries during the 2023-24 academic year, compared with 39,517 students from 158 countries a decade earlier.
The figures translate into a rise of 18,617 students and an expansion of 15 additional source countries, pointing to a broader global draw for India’s higher education sector.
Nepal’s share of foreign enrolments rose from 21 percent in 2013-14 to 24.1 percent in 2023-24, keeping it firmly ahead as India’s top source country in both years.
The list of other leading contributors has shifted considerably. A decade ago, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Malaysia, Sudan and Iraq followed Nepal as the biggest sources, contributing between 5 and 8 percent each.
The United Arab Emirates climbed to second place by 2023-24, holding a 7 percent share, while the United States and Bangladesh tied close behind at 5.9 percent each. Nigeria followed at 5.5 percent and Zimbabwe rounded out the group at 4 percent.
The latest survey also picked up students from a wider set of nations, including Lebanon, Burkina Faso, Mongolia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Chile, signaling that India’s reach as a study destination now extends well beyond its traditional source countries.
The shift highlights how India’s higher education system has broadened its international appeal even as it continues to draw its largest cohort from its immediate neighborhood.
