In 2023, nearly 6 lakh Indians immigrated to other countries, with a record 225,000 acquiring the nationality of an OECD country. According to the most recent figures from the OECD’s ‘International Migration Outlook 2025’ study, about 600,000 Indian nationals immigrated to an OECD country in 2023, an increase of 8% over the previous year.
Many individuals immigrate to other countries for study or work, and some obtain citizenship in the host country, especially since India does not permit dual citizenship.
India has retained its position as the main country of origin for migration flows to the OECD countries. The OECD is an organization comprising 38 member countries across North and South America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.
In 2023, around 6 lakh Indians immigrated abroad, with 2.25 lakh gaining foreign citizenship — a record surge in Indian migration trends. More Indians are settling in the UK, Canada, and Australia, reflecting shifting aspirations. This rise in Indian migrants highlights growing global mobility and changing citizenship preferences.
Immigration and Citizenship
In 2023, 225,000 Indian citizens – a record number – acquired the nationality of an OECD country, 70% more than in 2021. More than a third of them acquired Canadian citizenship, 23% US citizenship, and 18% Australian citizenship.
In 2024, acquisitions of citizenship in these nations reached historical highs, nearing 3 million, with Germany granting citizenship to 290,000 foreign residents and the United Kingdom granting it to 270,000, marking record levels for both countries.
In 2023, the first choice for Indian migrants was the United Kingdom. Nearly one in four Indian migrants selected the United Kingdom, totaling 144,000, a 28% increase from 2022. Out of this, 97,000 obtained health and care worker visas, comprising 39,000 primary applicants and 57,000 dependents.
Additionally, Canada welcomed 140,000 Indian migrants, an 18% rise, while the United States saw a decrease, attracting only 68,000 migrants, a 45% decline.
India and China have long been the main countries of origin of new migrants to the OECD area – outside of humanitarian crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, India overtook China as the main country of origin and, in 2023, held a clear lead over all other origin countries. Since 2020, India has been the main country of origin of migration flows to OECD countries, Ukraine
aside.
In 2024, over 160 million individuals residing in OECD countries were foreign-born, with the United States hosting nearly one-third of this population. From 2014 to 2024, the proportion of foreign-born residents in OECD countries increased from 9.1% to 11.5%.
Indians losing interest in Foreign Education
Since 2024, the attractiveness of foreign destinations among Indian students looks to have decreased. In 2023, India was the leading country of origin for international students.
However, in 2024, it fell to the second position, after China, experiencing substantial decreases in student inflows, with a reduction of 39% to the United States and 26% to the United Kingdom. Despite this decline, India still constituted just under 25% of international student arrivals in the UK and 20% in the US.
