Share of students from abroad in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of students from abroad was 23.41 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of students from abroad in United Kingdom, 1998–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, share of students from abroad in United Kingdom stood at 23.41. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is up 8.5% on the previous year and up 34.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in United Kingdom peaked at 23.41 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 10.14, in 2002.
That places United Kingdom 15th out of 134 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 10.81 | — |
| 1999 | 11.17 | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 11.01 | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 10.92 | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 10.14 | -7.1% |
| 2003 | 11.16 | +10.0% |
| 2004 | 13.35 | +19.7% |
| 2005 | 13.92 | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 14.13 | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 14.88 | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 14.67 | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 15.28 | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 15.73 | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 16.85 | +7.1% |
| 2012 | 17.14 | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 17.46 | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 18.22 | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 18.49 | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 18.1 | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 17.92 | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 18.32 | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 18.68 | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 20.15 | +7.9% |
| 2021 | 20.06 | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 21.57 | +7.5% |
| 2023 | 23.41 | +8.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 23.41 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.58, 2.2× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 23.41 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9.89, 2.4× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.99 | 10.81 | 11.17 | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.95 | 10.14 | 15.28 | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.69 | 15.73 | 18.68 | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.3 | 20.06 | 23.41 | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.73 (2018)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.93 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in United Kingdom?
- Share of students from abroad in United Kingdom was 23.41 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students from abroad recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 23.41 in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.14 in 2002.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of students from abroad?
- United Kingdom ranks 15th out of 134 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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).