People-to-People
Students, professionals and families who live between India and Europe, and the institutions that support them.
Background
2024
Indian citizens received 16,300 of about 78,100 EU Blue Cards, more than any other nationality. Germany issued 13,300 of them.
End of 2024
Full-time employees with Indian citizenship had the highest median monthly pay of any nationality in Germany: €5,393 gross.
Winter semester 2024/25
India was the largest country of origin for international students in Germany: 58,833 students, 14.6% of the total, ahead of China.
2025
Indians filed about 1.15 million Schengen visa applications, the third-largest number of any nationality.
31 December 2025
Indian citizens held 1,033,926 valid residence permits in the EU, up from 755,288 at the end of 2022. In 2025 the EU issued them 227,577 first permits, the most for work.
31 December 2025
311,130 Indian citizens lived in Germany, two and a half times as many as in 2018 (124,095).
27 January 2026
The EU and India signed a memorandum on a comprehensive framework for mobility; member states take part by choice. The first European Legal Gateway Office opened in New Delhi on 18 February 2026, starting with IT professionals.
Spring 2026
63% of Germans held a favourable view of India, up from 47% in 2023.
In preparation for issue one
Indian–German families
Report
Indian students and professionals in Germany
Profiles
Sources
- The Local, 4 Feb 2026: EU Blue Cards by nationality (Eurostat data)
- IW Köln, Kurzbericht 1/2026: Indian employees in Germany
- DAAD/DZHW: Wissenschaft weltoffen kompakt 2026
- Travel Trade Journal, 2026: Schengen visa statistics 2025 (European Commission data)
- Eurostat migr_resvalid: valid residence permits, Indian citizens, EU-27
- Eurostat migr_resfirst: first residence permits, Indian citizens, EU-27
- Destatis: foreign population by citizenship (Central Register of Foreigners)
- Ministry of External Affairs of India: labour mobility agreements
- EEAS Delegation to India: launch of the European Legal Gateway Office pilot
- Pew Research Center, 13 Aug 2026: Public opinion of India across 36 countries
Facts and figures checked 17 October 2026.