Share of students from abroad in Sweden
Sweden: Share of students from abroad was 7.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of students from abroad in Sweden, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of students from abroad in Sweden stood at 7.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in Sweden peaked at 7.9% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 4.0%, in 2004.
Sweden ranks 53rd 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 Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 7.3% | — |
| 2000 | 7.4% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 7.3% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 7.5% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 7.8% | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | -48.7% |
| 2005 | 4.7% | +16.5% |
| 2006 | 5.0% | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 5.4% | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 5.6% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 6.4% | +14.9% |
| 2010 | 6.9% | +8.3% |
| 2011 | 7.9% | +13.7% |
| 2012 | 6.3% | -19.8% |
| 2013 | 5.8% | -7.7% |
| 2014 | 5.9% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 6.2% | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 6.6% | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 6.7% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 7.2% | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 7.2% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 6.6% | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 7.0% | +5.5% |
| 2023 | 7.3% | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 7.2% | -0.6% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 7.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.6%, 68% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 7.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9.9%, 73% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of students from abroad in Sweden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | -48.7% | 7.8% | 4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.3% | 7.3% | 7.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 6.1% | 4.0% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.7% | 5.8% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.0% | 6.6% | 7.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 77,813 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,302 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 235,975 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 222,360 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 987,895 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 859,847 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8572 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0814 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in Sweden?
- Share of students from abroad in Sweden was 7.2% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 7.9% in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.0% in 2004.
- How does Sweden rank for share of students from abroad?
- Sweden ranks 53rd out of 134 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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 — 26 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.