As the war in Ukraine drags into its fourth year, India’s aspiring medical students are increasingly looking to Georgia as a safer and fast-growing alternative, new data reveals.
According to the Reserve Bank of India’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) figures obtained under the RTI Act, Indians remitted $50.25 million for education in Georgia in 2024-25—a nearly five-fold increase from $10.33 million in 2018-19. These figures are published by a national daily.
The surge has come largely at Ukraine’s expense.
The daily has highlighted that Indian education remittances to Ukraine fell sharply from $14.80 million in 2018-19 to just $2.40 million in 2024-25.
Before the conflict, Ukraine had been rising in popularity. The country even ranked among the top 10 destinations for Indian students in 2020-21 and 2021-22, when remittances peaked at $39.12 million. Following Russia’s invasion in February 2022, this figure dipped to around $10.6 million in 2022-23.
The report further highlighted that Georgia made its first mark in 2022-23. It entered the top 15 countries receiving Indian education remittances, climbing from 21st place in 2018-19 to 14th, and rising further to 12th in the latest data.
Parliamentary figures from December 2023, it added, show that the number of Indians traveling to Georgia for studies grew from 4,148 in 2019 to 10,470 in 2023.
Education consultants point out that Georgia was already favoured for medical and paramedical programmes such as physiotherapy, but the war accelerated its appeal.
Students avoiding Ukraine and those already enrolled in medical courses there sought transfers to Georgian universities.
The article mentioned that even as overall Indian remittances for education declined, Georgia recorded a 19% year-on-year increase in 2024-25, up from $42.38 million the previous year, underscoring its growing prominence as a destination for Indian students.
Also Read: Trapped In Russia-Ukraine War, Gujarat Student’s Family Urges Government To Bring Him Home https://www.vibesofindia.com/trapped-in-russia-ukraine-war-gujarat-students-family-urges-government-to-bring-him-home/
