Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in South Africa
South Africa: Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) was 1.02 GPIA in 2023. ▲ Rising
Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in South Africa, 2012–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.02 GPIA for net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in 2023. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
The figure is up 15.0% on the previous year and up 34.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in South Africa peaked at 1.02 GPIA in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.75 GPIA, in 2012.
That places South Africa 52nd out of 93 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 0.75 GPIA | — |
| 2013 | 0.7573 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 0.7589 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 0.7601 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 0.7704 GPIA | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.7828 GPIA | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 0.7607 GPIA | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 0.813 GPIA | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 0.8045 GPIA | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 0.8207 GPIA | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 0.8859 GPIA | +7.9% |
| 2023 | 1.02 GPIA | +15.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.7692 GPIA | 0.75 GPIA | 0.813 GPIA | 8 |
| 2020s | 0.8825 GPIA | 0.8045 GPIA | 1.02 GPIA | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in South Africa?
- Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in South Africa was 1.02 GPIA in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.02 GPIA in 2023.
- What is the lowest net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.75 GPIA in 2012.
- How does South Africa rank for net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound)?
- South Africa ranks 52nd out of 93 countries with data for 2023.
- Is net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound), adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release