The United States has observed a steady decline in students from China, which has been the largest group of foreign students in the country, and an increase in students from India, a report said on Monday.

The findings were released by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in its Open Doors Report that measures and outlines trends in international student mobility.

The report includes details on international students enrolled at colleges and universities in the US and those pursuing online courses and on “optional practical training” from Fall 2021 to Spring 2022.

The report said that while the number of Chinese students in US universities declined by 8.6% in 2021-’22 to 2.9 lakh students, the number of Indian students increased by 19% after witnessing a slump of 13.2% in the previous year.

Meanwhile, the number of Russian students in the United States fell by 0.1% in 2021-’22.

Besides India, international students from other countries that rebounded to numbers higher than 2019-’20 were Pakistan, Canada, Mexico, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Spain.

On September 8, the US Mission in India had said that it issued a record-breaking 82,000 student visas in 2022 to date. Indian students received more US student visas than any other country this year, comprising nearly 20% of all international students studying in the United States.

“This shows that the United States remains for most Indian families the most sought-after country for higher education,” US Charge d’Affaires Patricia Lacina had said. “It also highlights the important contributions Indian students make to both our countries as they build life-long connections with American peers to maintain and grow international partnerships, working collectively to address current and future global challenges.”