Major flows of international student mobility 2020

According to UNESCO, around 6.4 million students were enrolled outside their home country in 2020, an increase of approximately 300,000 international students, or 5%, compared to the previous year.

The largest flows of international student mobility are from China, by far the most important country of origin, to the host countries of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, and from India, the second most important country of origin, to the United States and Canada. In total, about 1,067,000 students from China and 528,000 Indian students were enrolled in higher education institutions abroad in 2020. This alone accounts for 17% and 8% of all mobile students abroad worldwide, respectively.

Approximately 351,000 Chinese students were enrolled in higher education institutions in the U.S. alone in the 2020 academic year. This figure represents 6% of global student mobility. Compared to the previous year, it increased by 1%. Around 161,000 Chinese students were recorded by UNESCO in the UK in 2020 (+16%), around 138,000 in Australia (-17%), and around 129,000 Indian students in the US (-4%) and around 95,000 in Canada (+28%).

Within Europe, the principal student flows are from Germany to Austria (31,000, +4%) and the Netherlands (21,000, –6%), from Ukraine to Poland (27,000, +/–0%), and from France to Belgium (18,000, +17%).