Safety, inclusion & cultural diversity: Why 31% of foreign students in Canada are Indian - The Indian Express
India accounted for 31 per cent of all international students in Canada till the end of last year, making it the country’s largest source of international students. Of the 6,91,215 international students in Canada across all levels of study, nearly one in three were from India.
China was the next-largest source country at 12 per cent, followed by Nigeria and the Philippines at 5 per cent each and France at 3 per cent. The figures are based on study permit data cited by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), an umbrella non-governmental organisation representing 200 colleges, universities, schools, educational organisations and businesses across Canada.
The size of Canada’s international student population, however, has fallen significantly. Between 2023 and 2025, the number of international students declined by 33 per cent, with 691,215 students recorded at the end of 2025. Despite this decline, Canada accounted for 11 per cent of globally mobile international students.
The reasons students choose Canada also vary by country. For Indian students, CBIE identifies safety, inclusion and cultural diversity as the top factors, while students from China place greater importance on immigration pathways and those from Nigeria and the Philippines on employment opportunities.
International students are distributed across different levels of education, with colleges and undergraduate programmes accounting for the largest shares. CEGEP and college students made up 30 per cent of the total, while 26 per cent were studying for bachelor’s degrees at universities. Another 24 per cent were in K-12 or Quebec vocational programmes, and 14 per cent were university graduate students.
Geographically, three provinces accounted for the majority of international students. Ontario hosted 286,610 students, or 42 per cent of the total, followed by British Columbia with 151,735 students, or 22 per cent, and Quebec with 103,190, or 15 per cent. Together, these three provinces hosted 541,535 international students, equivalent to about 78 per cent of Canada’s total.
The reasons for choosing a particular province also differ. CBIE identifies research and further academic opportunities as a key factor for students choosing Ontario and Quebec. In the Prairies and Atlantic regions, affordability was the leading factor, while British Columbia was associated with its natural environment.
The concentration is similarly visible in the fields international students choose. STEM accounted for 42 per cent of international students, making it the largest field of study. Business followed closely at 31 per cent, while social sciences accounted for 14 per cent.
The remaining fields had considerably smaller shares. Hospitality and tourism and fine arts each accounted for 3 per cent, trades and vocational programmes for 2 per cent, and ESL/FSL programmes for 1 per cent.
The figures show that international enrolment is heavily concentrated in STEM and business, which together account for 73 per cent of international students. This concentration is relevant to Canada’s wider international education strategy because these fields connect education with sectors where students may subsequently seek employment.
The factors behind choosing Canada differ considerably between sending countries. Students from China identified immigration pathways as the top factor. For France, it was research opportunities, while students from Nigeria and the Philippines identified employment opportunities.
For India, however, the leading consideration was safety, inclusion and cultural diversity as 31 per cent share of Canada’s international student population is Indians. The data also points to a longer-term dimension to international education. Fifty-three per cent of international students said they plan to apply for permanent residence in Canada.
