India ranks first in source of overseas students to US

India is currently the number one source of international students to the United States, and leads the world in the number of students it sends overseas.

More than 123,000 Indian students studied outside of their home country in 2006, with approximately 80,000 studying in educational institutions in the U.S.

This is up from approximately 55,000 Indian students that studied in the U.S. during the 2000-2001 academic year, according to the government.

In 2006, almost 74 percent of Indian students were enrolled at the graduate level, with 16.6 percent enrolled as undergraduates and 9.6 percent enrolled in such programs as English language training.

China used to be the leading source of foreign students to the United States until six years ago, when India surpassed them -- indicating that India's population is in overdrive.

By the middle of the next decade, India's working age population (those aged 15-64) is expected to overtake China's working age population, according to an economist at Deutsche Bank in Asia.

The U.S. has ten times as many universities and colleges than any other country in the world, making it a popular destination for students from all over the world.

Foreign students brought over $13 billion to the U.S. economy in 2006.