Share of students from abroad in Australia
Australia: Share of students from abroad was 31.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of students from abroad in Australia, 2015–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 31.6% for share of students from abroad in 2024. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is up 16.3% on the previous year and up 104.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in Australia peaked at 31.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 15.5%, in 2015.
That places Australia 11th out of 134 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of students from abroad in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 15.5% | — |
| 2016 | 17.5% | +13.0% |
| 2017 | 21.5% | +22.8% |
| 2018 | 26.5% | +23.4% |
| 2019 | 28.4% | +7.1% |
| 2020 | 26.0% | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 21.9% | -15.8% |
| 2022 | 23.0% | +5.2% |
| 2023 | 27.2% | +18.1% |
| 2024 | 31.6% | +16.3% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 31.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.6%, 3.0× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Australia's 31.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.7%, 6.8× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 21.9% | 15.5% | 28.4% | 5 |
| 2020s | 25.9% | 21.9% | 31.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in Australia?
- Share of students from abroad in Australia was 31.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students from abroad recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 31.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.5% in 2015.
- How does Australia rank for share of students from abroad?
- Australia ranks 11th out of 134 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 104.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of students from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
International students as a share of the country's overall tertiary enrollment. International students are those who move from their home countries for education, identified based on their past education, residence, or distinct immigration regulations.