Share of students studying abroad in Poland
Poland: Share of students studying abroad was 1.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of students studying abroad in Poland, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Poland recorded 1.7% for share of students studying abroad in 2023.
That represents a change of down 7.4% on the previous year and up 37.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students studying abroad in Poland peaked at 2.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2002.
That places Poland 150th out of 175 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Share of students studying abroad in Poland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1.1% | — |
| 1999 | 1.0% | -14.2% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | -5.6% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | +7.8% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | +13.5% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | +12.5% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 1.3% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -5.8% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +10.4% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | +7.2% |
| 2018 | 1.8% | +8.9% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.9% | +7.0% |
| 2021 | 2.0% | +6.2% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | -7.4% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 1.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.3%, 32% of the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Poland's 1.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.1%, 28% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More education data for Poland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 322,900 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,398 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 776,213 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 735,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.60 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0438 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students studying abroad in Poland?
- Share of students studying abroad in Poland was 1.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students studying abroad recorded in Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of students studying abroad recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2002.
- How does Poland rank for share of students studying abroad?
- Poland ranks 150th out of 175 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of students studying abroad rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Poland 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 studying abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of a country's tertiary level students studying abroad as international students. International students are those that move from their home countries for education, identified based on their past education, residence, or distinct immigration regulations.