South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Total inbound internationally mobile students, both sexes

South Africa
42,267 number
in 2018
Sub-Saharan Africa
138,370 number
in 2018
South Africa rank
30th
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
31st

Total inbound internationally mobile students, both sexes over time

  • South Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
050.0k100.0k150.0k199820082018

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa currently reports 138,370 number against 42,267 number in South Africa, a difference of 96,103 number.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa's figure about 3.3 times South Africa's.

Across all 14 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa has been ahead every year.

South Africa ranks 30th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 31st of 127 countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 25,132 number 73,984 number 48,852 number Sub-Saharan Africa
2000s 61,352 number 118,933 number 57,581 number Sub-Saharan Africa
2010s 48,858 number 137,872 number 89,014 number Sub-Saharan Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher total inbound internationally mobile students, both sexes, South Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa?
Sub-Saharan Africa, at 138,370 number against 42,267 number in South Africa as of 2018.
What is the difference in total inbound internationally mobile students, both sexes between South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa?
96,103 number, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa?
14 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2018.
How do South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for total inbound internationally mobile students, both sexes?
South Africa ranks 30th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 31st of 127 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Total inbound internationally mobile students, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Total inbound internationally mobile students, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/total-inbound-internationally-mobile-students-both-sexes-number/south-africa/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Total inbound internationally mobile students, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
171 places, 2,593 data points, 1997–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of students who have crossed a national or territorial border for the purpose of education and are now enrolled in tertiary institutions outside their country of origin.