Share of students from abroad in India
India: Share of students from abroad was 0.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of students from abroad in India, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of students from abroad in India is 0.1%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 7.2% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in India peaked at 0.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2004.
India ranks 128th of 134 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.1% | — |
| 2001 | 0.1% | +6.6% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | -11.0% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | -6.5% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | +50.0% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | +7.3% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | +23.2% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 0.1% | -8.9% |
| 2022 | 0.1% | -6.9% |
| 2023 | 0.1% | -7.2% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 0.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9%, 12% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of students from abroad in India changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +50.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 7 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.31 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 3.10 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19.37 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.52 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 133.16 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -8.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0862 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in India?
- Share of students from abroad in India was 0.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students from abroad recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2004.
- How does India rank for share of students from abroad?
- India ranks 128th out of 134 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of students from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
International students as a share of the country's overall tertiary enrollment. International students are those who move from their home countries for education, identified based on their past education, residence, or distinct immigration regulations.