5 years, 749 lost their lives… How safe is studying abroad? Cases of death of Indian students come to light every year.

Every year lakhs of students from India go abroad with the dream of better education, good career and bright future. Families spend their savings, many even take education loans and hope that their son or daughter will return successful one day. But, amidst these dreams, there is also a reality which is rarely discussed. Every year many Indian students die while studying abroad. These include road accidents, illness, suicide, drowning, mental stress and in some cases even violent attacks.

Whenever news of the death of an Indian student comes to light, there is discussion for a few days, but after that the matter becomes quiet. Recently, the body of 18 year old student Manideep Reddy Gujja from Hyderabad was found near the beach of Helsinki. During this time, government data related to this has also come out, which has brought this issue into discussion. These figures show that studying abroad is not just a story of opportunities, but is also associated with many challenges and risks.

What do the figures say?

Between 2021 and 2025, 749 Indian students studying in 49 countries died. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told in the Rajya Sabha that illness, road accident and suicide were the main reasons behind these deaths. During the same period, 27 Indian students also became victims of violent attacks, with the highest number of 16 deaths recorded in the year 2024. According to the government, 1,444 cases related to health, crime, discrimination and visa related to Indian students abroad were also reported. Indian Embassy, ​​MADAD portal, WhatsApp helpline and special counselor services are being made available to assist the students.

• Between 2018 and 2024, 633 deaths of Indian students studying abroad were recorded.
• Causes of deaths include disease, road accidents, suicide, other accidents and violent attacks.
• Due to the large number of Indian students in countries like Canada, America, Britain and Australia, the number of such cases is also seen there.

Body of missing student found

Talking about the recent incident, the body of Manideep Reddy Gujja, a student missing in Finland, has been recovered near the beach of Helsinki. He was studying Software and Systems Engineering at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology and was missing since May 5. The Indian Embassy informed the family about this through email. The student’s family members have termed the death as suspicious and have demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and have sought help from the central government to bring the body to India. At the same time, Finland Police says that at present there are no signs of any criminal conspiracy and the investigation into the cause of death is ongoing.

‘Crime is not the cause of every death’

According to official data from the Ministry of External Affairs, 633 Indian students studying in 49 countries died between 2018 and 2024. The highest number of deaths were recorded in countries like Canada and America, where the number of Indian students is also the highest. However, the government says that every death is not due to crime. In many cases, reasons like natural causes, disease, accidents and suicide have also come to light. In which problems like study pressure, job worries, financial burden, language and culture difference and mental stress sometimes become serious.

Which countries have the highest number of cases?

Between 2018 and 2023, 403 Indian students studying abroad died, of which the maximum of 91 deaths were recorded in Canada. This was followed by Britain (48), Russia (40), America (36) and Australia (35). The highest number of deaths of Indian students have been recorded in Canada, a major reason for this is that these countries have the highest number of Indian students. Therefore, it is not considered correct to assess the security of a country only on the basis of total deaths. According to the available data of the Ministry of External Affairs, the number of deaths due to violent attacks is relatively low. This means that not every case is related to racial violence or crime.

Mental health is also a big challenge

Experts have been continuously emphasizing that mental health is emerging as a big challenge for the students studying abroad. The new environment, study pressure, part-time job, financial responsibilities and loneliness weigh heavily on many students. Universities of many countries are now increasing facilities like counseling and helplines for international students including Indians. Every year about 18 lakh Indian students are studying abroad. The number of deaths is certainly less compared to such a large student community, but every incident is serious and lessons need to be learned from it.

What does the government do?

Experts say that before going abroad, students should have complete knowledge of local laws, health insurance, emergency contacts, weather and safety rules. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian embassies work closely with the local administration in such matters. If needed, assistance is also provided in formalities like family support, documentary process and sending the mortal remains to India. The government also issues advisories for students from time to time.