Share of students from abroad in Canada
Canada: Share of students from abroad was 21.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Share of students from abroad in Canada, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of students from abroad in Canada is 21.2%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of up 14.1% on the previous year and up 117.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in Canada peaked at 21.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1998.
That places Canada 17th out of 134 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of students from abroad in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2.4% | — |
| 1999 | 2.7% | +12.8% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | +13.1% |
| 2002 | 4.0% | +31.4% |
| 2007 | 6.5% | +65.2% |
| 2008 | 6.5% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 6.6% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 7.4% | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 8.2% | +9.8% |
| 2012 | 9.0% | +10.0% |
| 2013 | 9.7% | +8.3% |
| 2014 | 10.4% | +7.1% |
| 2015 | 11.0% | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 11.9% | +8.4% |
| 2017 | 12.9% | +8.6% |
| 2018 | 13.8% | +7.1% |
| 2019 | 16.2% | +17.2% |
| 2020 | 18.2% | +12.3% |
| 2021 | 17.4% | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 18.6% | +6.9% |
| 2023 | 21.2% | +14.1% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 21.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.6%, 2.0× the median. (60 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of students from abroad in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +65.2% | 4.0% | 6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.3% | 3.0% | 6.6% | 5 |
| 2010s | 11.1% | 7.4% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.8% | 17.4% | 21.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More education data for Canada
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 133,275 (1996)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2011)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 291,075 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 273,465 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.70 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.43 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.83 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0607 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in Canada?
- Share of students from abroad in Canada was 21.2% in 2023, 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 21.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1998.
- How does Canada rank for share of students from abroad?
- Canada ranks 17th out of 134 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 117.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada 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 — 21 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.