India's Study Abroad Trends: India's outbound student mobility displays strong growth from 6.8 lakhs in 2016 to 13.35 lakhs in 2024, despite fluctuations due to the pandemic. A state-wise analysis of students going abroad by NITI Aayog offers valuable insights into regional trends, priorities, and socio-economic factors driving international education.
The United States of America (USA), Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and Australia remain top destinations, with the UK and Canada seeing significant increases in Indian enrolments. State-wise analysis of Indian students moving abroad for international education identifies Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Maharashtra as leading contributors.
Based on the Ministry of External Affairs data, in the year 2020, Andhra Pradesh sent the highest number of candidates for international education. The table below presents the top 10 states and the number of students going abroad in 2020.
| Rank | State | Number of Students |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | 35,614 |
| 2 | Punjab | 33,412 |
| 3 | Maharashtra | 29,079 |
| 4 | Gujarat | 23,156 |
| 5 | Delhi | 18,482 |
| 6 | Tamil Nadu | 15,564 |
| 7 | Kerala | 15,277 |
| 8 | Chandigarh | 13,988 |
| 9 | Karnataka | 13,699 |
| 10 | Uttar Pradesh | 8,618 |
According to the official record, Andhra Pradesh consistently emerged as the leading source of outbound students in 2016, 2018, and 2020. However, the number has declined sharply in the year 2020, likely due to the pandemic. In 2016, 46,818 students went abroad for international education. In 2018, the number rose to 62,771.
Punjab moved from third to second position in 2018 and maintained the position till 2020. However, the number of students from Maharashtra dropped from 60,331 in 2018 to 33,412 in 2020.
Maharashtra was earlier the second-largest contributor in 2016, however, its position slipped to third in subsequent years, with its numbers decreasing from 45,560 in 2016 to 29,079 in 2020.
According to NITI Aayog's research, India's international student mobility trends between 2016 and 2022 reveal an increasingly outward-bound trajectory, with outbound student numbers significantly outpacing inbound flows.
