Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) was 707,555 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
707,555
Change on year
up 11.7%
World rank
2nd
of 143 countries
All-time high
707,555
in 2023
All-time low
182,538
in 1998
Years of data
26
1998–2023

Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998–2023

200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1998201020231998: 182.5k1999: 205.9k2000: 201.7k2001: 200.8k2002: 198.4k2003: 225.5k2004: 276.7k2005: 295.8k2006: 307.2k2007: 327.0k2008: 319.7k2009: 345.1k2010: 365.3k2011: 391.1k2012: 401.1k2013: 388.2k2014: 398.6k2015: 399.5k2016: 397.7k2017: 399.4k2018: 413.0k2019: 449.8k2020: 511.0k2021: 561.2k2022: 633.5k2023: 707.6k

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2023, net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 707,555. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

That represents a change of up 11.7% on the previous year and up 82.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 707,555 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 182,538, in 1998.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 2nd of 143 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound), both sexes (UIS estimate) (number) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1998 182,538
1999 205,914 +12.8%
2000 201,670 -2.1%
2001 200,779 -0.4%
2002 198,386 -1.2%
2003 225,538 +13.7%
2004 276,708 +22.7%
2005 295,790 +6.9%
2006 307,229 +3.9%
2007 326,991 +6.4%
2008 319,716 -2.2%
2009 345,114 +7.9%
2010 365,317 +5.9%
2011 391,140 +7.1%
2012 401,059 +2.5%
2013 388,210 -3.2%
2014 398,617 +2.7%
2015 399,485 +0.2%
2016 397,692 -0.4%
2017 399,376 +0.4%
2018 413,014 +3.4%
2019 449,750 +8.9%
2020 510,987 +13.6%
2021 561,181 +9.8%
2022 633,525 +12.9%
2023 707,555 +11.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 194,226 182,538 205,914 2
2000s 269,792 198,386 345,114 10
2010s 400,366 365,317 449,750 10
2020s 603,312 510,987 707,555 4

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 1 Montserrat -37 compare
  2. 1 United States of America 838,773 compare
  3. 2 Niue -39 compare
  4. 3 Australia 453,691 compare
  5. 3 Tokelau -75 compare
  6. 4 Anguilla -151 compare
  7. 4 Canada 337,060 compare
  8. 5 Cook Islands -241 compare
  9. 5 Germany 294,910 compare

See the full ranking of 148 places →

More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 707,555 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 707,555 in 2023.
What is the lowest net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 182,538 in 1998.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound)?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 2nd out of 143 countries with data for 2023.
Is net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 82.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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 — 26 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/net-flow-of-internationally-mobile-students-inbound-outbound-both-sexes-uis-estimate/united-kingdom/

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/united-kingdom/">Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland</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