Georgia becomes new hub for Indian medical students

WITH THE WAR in Ukraine continuing in its fourth year and international students switching to safer alternatives, Georgia is fast emerging as a new and fast-growing destination for Indian medical aspirants, data shows.

- ABHINAYA HARIGOVIND

Indians spent $50.25 million on education in Georgia in 2024-25, a nearly five-fold surge from $10.33 million in 2018-19, according to data on the Reserve Bank of India’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), obtained under the RTI Act.

This rise, the data shows, has come largely at Ukraine’s expense, with Indian remittances for education in that country dropping from $14.80 million in 2018-19 to just $2.40 million in 2024-25.

In the years before the war, Indian remittances for education in Ukraine were only rising. In fact, Ukraine was among the top 10 destinations for Indian students in 2020-21 and 2021-22, when remittances touched $39.12 million. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, this fell sharply to about $10.6 million in 2022-23.