Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Japan

Japan: Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) was 148,279 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
148,279
Change on year
down 11.7%
World rank
10th
of 143 countries
All-time high
189,755
in 2020
All-time low
-1,543
in 1999
Years of data
13
1998–2023

Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Japan, 1998–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k1998201020231998: -1.0k1999: -1.5k2013: 102.3k2014: 98.8k2015: 101.4k2016: 111.8k2017: 132.6k2018: 150.6k2019: 170.7k2020: 189.8k2021: 186.8k2022: 168.0k2023: 148.3k

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

Japan recorded 148,279 for net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in 2023.

The figure is down 11.7% on the previous year and up 44.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Japan peaked at 189,755 in 2020 and was at its lowest, -1,543, in 1999.

Japan ranks 10th of 143 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound), both sexes (UIS estimate) (number) in Japan, 1998 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1998 -1,042
1999 -1,543 +48.1%
2013 102,344 -6732.8%
2014 98,761 -3.5%
2015 101,384 +2.7%
2016 111,766 +10.2%
2017 132,550 +18.6%
2018 150,623 +13.6%
2019 170,661 +13.3%
2020 189,755 +11.2%
2021 186,812 -1.6%
2022 167,970 -10.1%
2023 148,279 -11.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s -1,292 -1,543 -1,042 2
2010s 124,013 98,761 170,661 7
2020s 173,204 148,279 189,755 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 7 United Arab Emirates 217,718 compare
  2. 8 Türkiye 183,795 compare
  3. 9 France 161,211 compare
  4. 11 Netherlands 117,301 compare
  5. 12 Argentina 114,121 compare
  6. 13 Poland 66,837 compare

See the full ranking of 148 places →

More education data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Japan?
Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Japan was 148,279 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 189,755 in 2020.
What is the lowest net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was -1,543 in 1999.
How does Japan rank for net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound)?
Japan ranks 10th out of 143 countries with data for 2023.
Is net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 44.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan 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 — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/net-flow-of-internationally-mobile-students-inbound-outbound-both-sexes-uis-estimate/japan/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/net-flow-of-internationally-mobile-students-inbound-outbound-both-sexes-uis-estimate/japan/">Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in Japan</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound), both sexes (UIS estimate) (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
148 places, 2,435 data points, 1998–2023
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release