Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in China
China: Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) was -875,123 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in China, 2006–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in China stood at -875,123.
That represents a change of down 3.5% on the previous year and down 40.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in China peaked at -338,174 in 2006 and was at its lowest, -887,452, in 2020.
China ranks 143rd of 143 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | -338,174 | — |
| 2007 | -369,689 | +9.3% |
| 2008 | -396,067 | +7.1% |
| 2009 | -447,534 | +13.0% |
| 2010 | -509,443 | +13.8% |
| 2011 | -556,624 | +9.3% |
| 2012 | -589,034 | +5.8% |
| 2013 | -624,037 | +5.9% |
| 2014 | -663,395 | +6.3% |
| 2015 | -697,323 | +5.1% |
| 2016 | -731,403 | +4.9% |
| 2017 | -773,635 | +5.8% |
| 2018 | -822,040 | +6.3% |
| 2019 | -861,788 | +4.8% |
| 2020 | -887,452 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | -820,741 | -7.5% |
| 2022 | -845,168 | +3.0% |
| 2023 | -875,123 | +3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | -387,866 | -447,534 | -338,174 | 4 |
| 2010s | -682,872 | -861,788 | -509,443 | 10 |
| 2020s | -857,121 | -887,452 | -820,741 | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 52.30 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 40.93 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -11.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 60.67 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.11 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 5.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.72 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 30.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.79 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in China?
- Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in China was -875,123 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was -338,174 in 2006.
- What is the lowest net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was -887,452 in 2020.
- How does China rank for net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound)?
- China ranks 143rd out of 143 countries with data for 2023.
- Is net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound), both sexes (UIS estimate) (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release