Archive · 14 Aug 2025
Indians Spent ₹1.76 Lakh Crore on Overseas Education in Decade
Imagine a lot of money, like ₹1.76 lakh crore, leaving India to pay for students going to school in other countries.
That's what happened over the past ten years!
Last year, it was still a huge amount.
This money could have built a lot of schools in India.
The amount sent out each year has grown a lot.
Even though fewer students went abroad this year, it's still a big number compared to before.
This raises questions about how much it costs and the quality of schools in India.
Indians sent ₹1.76 lakh crore abroad for education over a decade, as per RBI data.
In 2023-24, students remitted ₹29,000 crore, slightly below the previous year's peak.
The decade-long outflow could have funded approximately 62 IITs.
Annual remittance for education has surged nearly 1,200% over ten years.
Despite a decline in 2024, 7,59,064 students still went abroad for studies.
- Who
- Indians, specifically students and their families.
- What
- Indians sent ₹1.76 lakh crore abroad for overseas education.
- When
- Over the last decade; in 2023-24.
- Where
- Abroad, from India.
- Why
- To fund overseas education.
Government View
Public View
Investment vs Infrastructure
Government View
Emphasis on international education as an investment.
Public View
Need to improve domestic education infrastructure.
- Total Remittance (Decade)
- ₹1.76 lakh crore
- Remittance (2023-24)
- ₹29,000 crore
- IIT Cost Estimate (2014)
- ₹1,750 crore
- IIT Cost Estimate (2025)
- ₹2,823 crore
- Students Abroad (2024)
- 7,59,064
- Remittance Growth (10 years)
- Nearly 1,200%