Share of students from abroad in Qatar
Qatar: Share of students from abroad was 41.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of students from abroad in Qatar, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Qatar recorded 41.7% for share of students from abroad in 2024. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in Qatar peaked at 41.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.6%, in 2004.
That places Qatar 10th out of 134 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in Qatar, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 20.7% | — |
| 2002 | 21.0% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 20.9% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 12.6% | -39.6% |
| 2005 | 24.5% | +94.6% |
| 2008 | 36.2% | +47.7% |
| 2009 | 36.5% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 39.1% | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 40.3% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 41.4% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 40.7% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 39.9% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 37.7% | -5.5% |
| 2016 | 37.9% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 35.3% | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 34.2% | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 35.3% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 37.5% | +6.1% |
| 2021 | 37.6% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 38.5% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 40.5% | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 41.7% | +2.9% |
Qatar compared with similar countries
- Qatar's 41.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.6%, 3.9× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Qatar's 41.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.6%, 11.7× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of students from abroad in Qatar 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +94.6% | 12.6% | 24.5% |
| 2008 | +47.7% | 24.5% | 36.2% |
| 2004 | -39.6% | 20.9% | 12.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 24.6% | 12.6% | 36.5% | 7 |
| 2010s | 38.2% | 34.2% | 41.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.2% | 37.5% | 41.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Qatar
More education data for Qatar
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,368 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,379 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 25,980 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 24,823 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 151,038 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 180,287 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0631 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in Qatar?
- Share of students from abroad in Qatar was 41.7% 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 Qatar?
- The highest recorded value was 41.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in Qatar?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.6% in 2004.
- How does Qatar rank for share of students from abroad?
- Qatar ranks 10th out of 134 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in Qatar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Qatar 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 — 22 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.