Share of students from abroad in Cuba
Cuba: Share of students from abroad was 2.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of students from abroad in Cuba, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cuba recorded 2.2% for share of students from abroad in 2024.
That represents a change of up 12.9% on the previous year and down 48.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in Cuba peaked at 7.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2023.
That places Cuba 91st out of 134 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in Cuba, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.9% | — |
| 2001 | 5.5% | +40.7% |
| 2002 | 6.1% | +11.8% |
| 2003 | 7.3% | +19.3% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | -52.6% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | -11.6% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | -27.8% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | +41.0% |
| 2008 | 3.0% | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | +18.4% |
| 2011 | 4.1% | +8.8% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | +10.1% |
| 2013 | 4.5% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 4.3% | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 4.2% | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 3.8% | -11.5% |
| 2018 | 3.4% | -9.6% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | -9.9% |
| 2020 | 2.6% | -13.5% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | -17.6% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | -8.7% |
| 2024 | 2.2% | +12.9% |
Cuba compared with similar countries
- Cuba's 2.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.0%, 74% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Cuba's 2.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.2%, 1.0× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.1% | 2.2% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 3.1% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cuba
More education data for Cuba
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 78,576 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 4,635 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 171,121 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 162,406 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 662,491 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 698,052 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -3.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2020)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0636 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in Cuba?
- Share of students from abroad in Cuba was 2.2% 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 Cuba?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in Cuba?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2023.
- How does Cuba rank for share of students from abroad?
- Cuba ranks 91st out of 134 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in Cuba?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cuba 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.
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CSV · JSON — 24 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.