Total inbound internationally mobile students, male (number) in South Africa
South Africa: Total inbound internationally mobile students, male (number) was 19,602 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Total inbound internationally mobile students, male in South Africa, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, total inbound internationally mobile students, male in South Africa stood at 19,602.
That represents a change of up 20.4% on the previous year and down 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total inbound internationally mobile students, male in South Africa peaked at 37,699 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 8,367, in 1998.
South Africa ranks 34th of 117 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Total inbound internationally mobile students, male (number) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8,367 | — |
| 2003 | 22,991 | +174.8% |
| 2004 | 27,450 | +19.4% |
| 2006 | 28,010 | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 30,763 | +9.8% |
| 2009 | 32,029 | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 35,101 | +9.6% |
| 2011 | 37,699 | +7.4% |
| 2012 | 24,039 | -36.2% |
| 2013 | 24,007 | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 24,102 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 24,456 | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 25,463 | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 25,324 | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 23,727 | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 22,289 | -6.1% |
| 2020 | 19,655 | -11.8% |
| 2021 | 18,453 | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 16,275 | -11.8% |
| 2023 | 19,602 | +20.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 19,602 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4,573, 4.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 19,602 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,286, 15.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total inbound internationally mobile students, male (number) in South Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +174.8% | 8,367 | 22,991 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8,367 | 8,367 | 8,367 | 1 |
| 2000s | 28,249 | 22,991 | 32,029 | 5 |
| 2010s | 26,621 | 22,289 | 37,699 | 10 |
| 2020s | 18,496 | 16,275 | 19,655 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total inbound internationally mobile students, male in South Africa?
- Total inbound internationally mobile students, male in South Africa was 19,602 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total inbound internationally mobile students, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 37,699 in 2011.
- What is the lowest total inbound internationally mobile students, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,367 in 1998.
- How does South Africa rank for total inbound internationally mobile students, male?
- South Africa ranks 34th out of 117 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total inbound internationally mobile students, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total inbound internationally mobile students, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release