Share of students from abroad in United States
United States: Share of students from abroad was 5.3 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of students from abroad in United States, 1998–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, share of students from abroad in United States stood at 5.3. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.4% on the previous year and up 35.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in United States peaked at 5.3 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.24, in 1998.
United States ranks 64th of 134 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3.24 | — |
| 1999 | 3.28 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 3.49 | +6.5% |
| 2013 | 3.93 | +12.4% |
| 2014 | 4.28 | +8.9% |
| 2015 | 4.65 | +8.6% |
| 2016 | 5.04 | +8.4% |
| 2017 | 5.18 | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 5.21 | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 5.19 | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 5.1 | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 4.59 | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 4.89 | +6.6% |
| 2023 | 5.3 | +8.4% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 5.3 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.58, 50% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.26 | 3.24 | 3.28 | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.49 | 3.49 | 3.49 | 1 |
| 2010s | 4.78 | 3.93 | 5.21 | 7 |
| 2020s | 4.97 | 4.59 | 5.3 | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 61 Trinidad and Tobago 5.78 compare
- 62 Saudi Arabia 5.71 compare
- 63 Niger 5.41 compare
- 65 South Korea 5.27 compare
- 66 Samoa 5.16 compare
- 67 Honduras 4.81 compare
More education data for United States
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 96.21 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 96.02 (2022)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 419,732 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4.34 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in United States?
- Share of students from abroad in United States was 5.3 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students from abroad recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 5.3 in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.24 in 1998.
- How does United States rank for share of students from abroad?
- United States ranks 64th out of 134 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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 — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).