German students abroad, since 1991

In 2022, around 138,800 Germans were studying abroad, a decrease of 2% since the peak in 2016 (around 141,200). However, if the focus is broadened over time, the number of German students studying abroad has quadrupled since 1991 and more than doubled since 2000. These students are predominantly, but not exclusively, students seeking a degree abroad.
When looking at the share of German students abroad as a proportion of all German students, it has risen steadily since 1991 at 2% to its peak of 5.8% in 2009. Due to the sharp rise in the number of students in Germany, the share of students abroad fell to 5.2% in 2015 and fluctuated between 5.0% and 5.2% until 2019. Due to the pandemic, this proportion fell to 4.8% in 2020 and returned to 5.2% in the current reporting year 2022.