Outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the in South Africa
South Africa: Outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the was 1,141 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the in South Africa, 1997–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1,141 for outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.3% on the previous year and up 30.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the in South Africa peaked at 1,755 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 671, in 2005.
South Africa ranks 40th of 210 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 866 | — |
| 1998 | 866 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 940 | +8.5% |
| 2000 | 1,012 | +7.7% |
| 2001 | 1,379 | +36.3% |
| 2002 | 1,755 | +27.3% |
| 2003 | 1,672 | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 704 | -57.9% |
| 2005 | 671 | -4.7% |
| 2006 | 696 | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 773 | +11.1% |
| 2008 | 854 | +10.5% |
| 2009 | 984 | +15.2% |
| 2010 | 957 | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 954 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 897 | -6.0% |
| 2013 | 878 | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 763 | -13.1% |
| 2015 | 700 | -8.3% |
| 2016 | 770 | +10.0% |
| 2017 | 750 | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 811 | +8.1% |
| 2019 | 1,010 | +24.5% |
| 2020 | 1,132 | +12.1% |
| 2021 | 1,039 | -8.2% |
| 2022 | 1,054 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 1,141 | +8.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 890.67 | 866 | 940 | 3 |
| 2000s | 1,050 | 671 | 1,755 | 10 |
| 2010s | 849 | 700 | 1,010 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,092 | 1,039 | 1,141 | 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 outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the in South Africa?
- Outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the in South Africa was 1,141 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1,755 in 2002.
- What is the lowest outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 671 in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the?
- South Africa ranks 40th out of 210 countries with data for 2023.
- Is outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in the Pacific, both sexes (UIS estimate) (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release