Share of students from abroad in France
France: Share of students from abroad was 9.89 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of students from abroad in France, 1999–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, share of students from abroad in France stood at 9.89.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in France peaked at 11.87 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 6.51, in 1999.
France ranks 46th of 134 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 6.51 | — |
| 2000 | 6.8 | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 7.25 | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 8.15 | +12.4% |
| 2003 | 10.46 | +28.2% |
| 2004 | 11 | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 10.81 | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 11.24 | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 11.32 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 11.25 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 11.47 | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 11.58 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 11.87 | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 11.82 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 9.78 | -17.3% |
| 2014 | 9.84 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 9.88 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 9.89 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 10.2 | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 8.77 | -14.0% |
| 2019 | 9.17 | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 9.19 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 9 | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 9.14 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 9.68 | +6.0% |
| 2024 | 9.89 | +2.2% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 9.89 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.58, 93% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
- France's 9.89 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9.89, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of students from abroad in France 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +28.2% | 8.15 | 10.46 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.51 | 6.51 | 6.51 | 1 |
| 2000s | 9.97 | 6.8 | 11.47 | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.28 | 8.77 | 11.87 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.38 | 9 | 9.89 | 5 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.97 (2016)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.8 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in France?
- Share of students from abroad in France was 9.89 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students from abroad recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 11.87 in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.51 in 1999.
- How does France rank for share of students from abroad?
- France ranks 46th out of 134 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from 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 — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).