Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying abroad, all countries, both sexes (UIS estimate) (number) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
209
Highest
1.08 million
China (People’s Republic of)
Lowest
49
Palau
Median
10,267
Years covered
27
1997–2023
Data points
11,332
What the numbers show
Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying abroad, all countries, both sexes (UIS estimate) (number) is currently reported for 209 countries. The highest value is 1.08 million in China (People’s Republic of); the lowest is 49 in Palau.
The median across all reporting countries is 10,267, and the mean is 30,489.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 21,960.
Over the past decade 161 countries rose and 48 fell. The largest increase was in South Sudan (up 552.7%), and the largest decrease in San Marino (down 71.3%).
Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China (People’s Republic of) | 1.08 million | 2023 | up 49.4% | volatile |
| 1 | Cook Islands | 241 | 2023 | up 8.1% | falling |
| 2 | India | 833,835 | 2023 | up 327.1% | volatile |
| 3 | Nigeria | 146,286 | 2023 | up 128.1% | volatile |
| 3 | Tokelau | 73 | 2023 | up 7.4% | volatile |
| 4 | Germany | 128,287 | 2023 | up 6.4% | rising |
| 4 | Niue | 60 | 2023 | up 22.4% | falling |
| 5 | Viet Nam | 128,186 | 2023 | up 128.7% | volatile |
| 5 | Montserrat | 39 | 2023 | up 11.4% | rising |
| 6 | Uzbekistan | 120,563 | 2023 | up 492.6% | volatile |
| 7 | United States | 118,150 | 2023 | up 55.7% | rising |
| 8 | France | 115,006 | 2023 | up 49.6% | rising |
| 9 | Pakistan | 114,849 | 2023 | up 185.9% | volatile |
| 10 | Nepal | 108,273 | 2023 | up 235.7% | volatile |
| 11 | Syria | 105,160 | 2023 | up 333.2% | volatile |
| 12 | Iran | 99,161 | 2023 | up 100.5% | volatile |
| 13 | Ukraine | 95,630 | 2023 | up 124.9% | volatile |
| 14 | Korea | 89,693 | 2023 | down 21.2% | rising |
| 15 | Brazil | 89,459 | 2023 | up 126.5% | volatile |
| 16 | Italy | 86,837 | 2023 | up 72.5% | rising |
| 17 | Bangladesh | 76,328 | 2023 | up 104.5% | volatile |
| 18 | Kazakhstan | 75,396 | 2023 | up 39.2% | rising |
| 19 | Morocco | 75,186 | 2023 | up 86.8% | rising |
| 20 | Indonesia | 70,174 | 2023 | up 77.4% | rising |
| 21 | Egypt | 68,024 | 2023 | up 243.2% | volatile |
| 22 | Türkiye | 66,914 | 2023 | up 47.7% | rising |
| 23 | Russia | 65,389 | 2023 | up 27.5% | rising |
| 24 | Colombia | 63,132 | 2023 | up 89.4% | rising |
| 25 | Turkmenistan | 62,124 | 2023 | up 60.8% | volatile |
| 26 | Canada | 52,121 | 2023 | up 11.7% | rising |
| 27 | Azerbaijan | 50,821 | 2023 | up 127.8% | volatile |
| 28 | Spain | 50,755 | 2023 | up 68.6% | rising |
| 29 | Malaysia | 47,047 | 2023 | down 21.4% | rising |
| 30 | Iraq | 44,061 | 2023 | up 139.4% | volatile |
| 31 | Saudi Arabia | 42,366 | 2023 | down 43.3% | volatile |
| 32 | Peru | 42,068 | 2023 | up 63.1% | rising |
| 33 | Sri Lanka | 41,661 | 2023 | up 158.4% | volatile |
| 34 | Philippines | 41,440 | 2023 | up 251.6% | volatile |
| 35 | United Kingdom | 40,906 | 2023 | up 43.6% | rising |
| 36 | Hong Kong (China) | 40,904 | 2023 | up 27.0% | rising |
| 37 | Mexico | 38,560 | 2023 | up 37.4% | rising |
| 38 | Algeria | 38,304 | 2023 | up 81.6% | rising |
| 39 | Greece | 37,658 | 2023 | up 11.0% | falling |
| 40 | Yemen | 37,557 | 2023 | up 110.6% | volatile |
| 41 | Ecuador | 36,571 | 2023 | up 175.5% | volatile |
| 42 | Afghanistan | 34,833 | 2023 | up 159.9% | volatile |
| 43 | Jordan | 33,901 | 2023 | up 69.8% | rising |
| 44 | Cameroon | 33,755 | 2023 | up 51.7% | rising |
| 45 | Japan | 33,542 | 2023 | up 0.2% | falling |
| 46 | Thailand | 32,646 | 2023 | up 23.9% | rising |
| 47 | Tajikistan | 32,202 | 2023 | up 212.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Venezuela | 31,971 | 2023 | up 101.0% | rising |
| 49 | Palestine | 31,786 | 2023 | up 43.6% | rising |
| 50 | Lebanon | 29,975 | 2023 | up 138.0% | rising |
| 51 | Slovak Republic | 29,654 | 2023 | down 10.7% | rising |
| 52 | Tunisia | 29,353 | 2023 | up 72.1% | rising |
| 53 | Romania | 28,437 | 2023 | down 12.7% | rising |
| 54 | Belarus | 27,244 | 2023 | down 28.6% | volatile |
| 55 | Austria | 27,055 | 2023 | up 70.1% | rising |
| 56 | Zimbabwe | 24,392 | 2023 | up 45.7% | rising |
| 57 | Ghana | 23,842 | 2023 | up 121.4% | rising |
| 58 | Cyprus | 23,542 | 2023 | down 10.5% | rising |
| 59 | Kenya | 23,211 | 2023 | up 83.3% | rising |
| 60 | Poland | 22,840 | 2023 | down 1.9% | rising |
| 61 | Kuwait | 21,972 | 2023 | up 52.9% | volatile |
| 62 | Bolivia | 21,077 | 2023 | up 40.9% | volatile |
| 63 | Chile | 20,535 | 2023 | up 58.7% | rising |
| 64 | Singapore | 20,488 | 2023 | down 10.4% | falling |
| 65 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 20,127 | 2023 | up 141.0% | volatile |
| 66 | Switzerland | 19,909 | 2023 | up 62.9% | rising |
| 67 | Senegal | 19,498 | 2023 | up 73.4% | rising |
| 68 | Chad | 19,488 | 2023 | up 224.4% | volatile |
| 69 | United Arab Emirates | 19,316 | 2023 | up 121.8% | rising |
| 70 | Moldova | 18,928 | 2023 | up 0.7% | rising |
| 71 | Netherlands | 18,922 | 2023 | up 38.7% | rising |
| 72 | Israel | 18,745 | 2023 | up 34.8% | rising |
| 73 | Côte d’Ivoire | 18,675 | 2023 | up 98.0% | rising |
| 74 | Bulgaria | 18,244 | 2023 | down 26.6% | rising |
| 75 | Sudan | 17,828 | 2023 | up 81.7% | rising |
| 76 | Belgium | 17,817 | 2023 | up 40.7% | rising |
| 77 | Mongolia | 17,350 | 2023 | up 89.8% | volatile |
| 78 | Gabon | 16,671 | 2023 | up 165.8% | rising |
| 79 | Ireland | 16,573 | 2023 | up 1.4% | falling |
| 80 | Portugal | 16,557 | 2023 | up 46.1% | rising |
| 81 | Somalia | 16,504 | 2023 | up 284.1% | volatile |
| 82 | Myanmar | 16,360 | 2023 | up 118.4% | volatile |
| 83 | Kyrgyzstan | 16,306 | 2023 | up 175.8% | volatile |
| 84 | Oman | 16,260 | 2023 | up 42.4% | rising |
| 85 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 15,366 | 2023 | up 42.7% | rising |
| 86 | Albania | 15,073 | 2023 | down 32.3% | rising |
| 87 | Paraguay | 14,663 | 2023 | up 42.2% | volatile |
| 88 | Norway | 14,425 | 2023 | down 20.5% | rising |
| 89 | Serbia | 14,371 | 2023 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 90 | Sweden | 14,094 | 2023 | down 21.8% | rising |
| 91 | Congo | 14,055 | 2023 | up 14.7% | rising |
| 92 | Hungary | 13,529 | 2023 | up 53.2% | rising |
| 93 | Australia | 13,383 | 2023 | up 10.1% | rising |
| 94 | Luxembourg | 13,332 | 2023 | up 48.5% | rising |
| 95 | South Africa | 13,270 | 2023 | up 87.7% | rising |
| 96 | Argentina | 12,445 | 2023 | up 66.1% | rising |
| 97 | Angola | 11,955 | 2023 | up 13.3% | rising |
| 98 | Haiti | 11,427 | 2023 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 99 | Ethiopia | 11,148 | 2023 | up 90.8% | rising |
| 100 | Benin | 11,144 | 2023 | up 110.8% | rising |
| 101 | Czechia | 11,123 | 2023 | down 11.6% | rising |
| 102 | Guinea | 10,493 | 2023 | up 53.7% | rising |
| 103 | Mali | 10,362 | 2023 | up 39.5% | rising |
| 104 | Bhutan | 10,309 | 2023 | up 180.1% | volatile |
| 105 | Guinea-Bissau | 10,267 | 2023 | up 326.0% | volatile |
| 106 | Croatia | 9,635 | 2023 | up 12.9% | rising |
| 107 | Georgia | 9,159 | 2023 | up 27.5% | rising |
| 108 | Togo | 8,897 | 2023 | up 75.3% | rising |
| 109 | Niger | 8,754 | 2023 | up 81.4% | rising |
| 110 | Finland | 8,555 | 2023 | up 3.2% | rising |
| 111 | Cambodia | 8,489 | 2023 | up 90.6% | volatile |
| 112 | Burkina Faso | 8,463 | 2023 | up 90.4% | rising |
| 113 | Lao People’s Democratic Republic | 8,116 | 2023 | up 67.5% | volatile |
| 114 | Libya | 7,898 | 2023 | up 7.0% | volatile |
| 115 | Tanzania | 7,877 | 2023 | up 33.8% | rising |
| 116 | Mauritania | 7,828 | 2023 | up 91.1% | rising |
| 117 | Cabo Verde | 7,675 | 2023 | up 77.7% | rising |
| 118 | Honduras | 7,302 | 2023 | up 78.3% | rising |
| 119 | Rwanda | 7,253 | 2023 | up 8.5% | rising |
| 120 | Uganda | 7,108 | 2023 | up 32.7% | rising |
| 121 | Lithuania | 7,056 | 2023 | down 41.4% | rising |
| 122 | Mauritius | 6,695 | 2023 | down 9.9% | rising |
| 123 | Madagascar | 6,133 | 2023 | up 41.6% | rising |
| 124 | Qatar | 6,039 | 2023 | up 26.6% | volatile |
| 125 | Denmark | 5,985 | 2023 | up 13.1% | falling |
| 126 | Comoros | 5,905 | 2023 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 127 | Panama | 5,725 | 2023 | up 52.7% | rising |
| 128 | Jamaica | 5,655 | 2023 | up 41.1% | falling |
| 129 | North Macedonia | 5,610 | 2023 | up 42.3% | rising |
| 130 | Dominican Republic | 5,599 | 2023 | up 21.1% | rising |
| 131 | Mozambique | 5,594 | 2023 | up 181.1% | rising |
| 132 | Uruguay | 5,583 | 2023 | up 32.7% | rising |
| 133 | Zambia | 5,318 | 2023 | up 5.7% | rising |
| 134 | Montenegro | 5,251 | 2023 | up 23.7% | rising |
| 135 | El Salvador | 5,096 | 2023 | up 37.2% | rising |
| 136 | Cuba | 4,914 | 2023 | up 125.0% | rising |
| 137 | Armenia | 4,851 | 2023 | down 32.0% | rising |
| 138 | New Zealand | 4,652 | 2023 | down 13.8% | falling |
| 139 | Bahrain | 4,632 | 2023 | up 1.5% | rising |
| 140 | Costa Rica | 4,589 | 2023 | up 60.5% | rising |
| 141 | Latvia | 4,567 | 2023 | down 28.3% | rising |
| 142 | Djibouti | 4,419 | 2023 | up 46.9% | rising |
| 143 | Nicaragua | 4,215 | 2023 | up 28.4% | rising |
| 144 | Namibia | 4,057 | 2023 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 145 | Burundi | 4,038 | 2023 | up 69.2% | rising |
| 146 | Bahamas | 3,996 | 2023 | up 65.4% | rising |
| 147 | Guatemala | 3,936 | 2023 | up 32.2% | rising |
| 148 | Trinidad and Tobago | 3,469 | 2023 | down 20.4% | falling |
| 149 | Estonia | 3,243 | 2023 | down 22.4% | rising |
| 150 | Solomon Islands | 3,155 | 2023 | down 2.7% | rising |
| 151 | Malawi | 3,027 | 2023 | down 5.4% | rising |
| 152 | Eswatini | 3,005 | 2023 | up 6.8% | rising |
| 153 | Maldives | 2,972 | 2023 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 154 | Slovenia | 2,881 | 2023 | up 10.2% | rising |
| 155 | Gambia | 2,802 | 2023 | up 99.0% | rising |
| 156 | Timor-Leste | 2,794 | 2023 | down 6.4% | volatile |
| 157 | Central African Republic | 2,723 | 2023 | up 33.1% | rising |
| 158 | South Sudan | 2,663 | 2023 | up 552.7% | volatile |
| 159 | Lesotho | 2,661 | 2023 | down 8.7% | flat |
| 160 | Botswana | 2,635 | 2023 | down 33.6% | volatile |
| 161 | Iceland | 2,575 | 2023 | down 9.4% | rising |
| 162 | Fiji | 2,564 | 2023 | up 101.7% | falling |
| 163 | Macau (China) | 2,201 | 2023 | up 1.2% | rising |
| 164 | Brunei | 2,135 | 2023 | down 39.4% | rising |
| 165 | Liberia | 2,085 | 2023 | up 190.4% | rising |
| 166 | Sierra Leone | 1,757 | 2023 | up 61.5% | rising |
| 167 | Vanuatu | 1,755 | 2023 | down 3.8% | rising |
| 168 | Equatorial Guinea | 1,716 | 2023 | up 18.8% | rising |
| 169 | Andorra | 1,688 | 2023 | up 37.2% | rising |
| 170 | Sao Tome and Principe | 1,577 | 2023 | up 185.2% | rising |
| 171 | Eritrea | 1,561 | 2023 | down 23.1% | rising |
| 172 | Papua New Guinea | 1,499 | 2023 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 173 | Guyana | 1,339 | 2023 | down 6.1% | rising |
| 174 | Dominica | 1,210 | 2023 | up 68.1% | rising |
| 175 | Tonga | 1,209 | 2023 | down 1.0% | rising |
| 176 | Liechtenstein | 1,186 | 2023 | up 21.3% | rising |
| 177 | Barbados | 1,183 | 2023 | down 2.7% | falling |
| 178 | Malta | 1,062 | 2023 | down 44.2% | rising |
| 179 | Suriname | 1,059 | 2023 | up 24.4% | rising |
| 180 | Samoa | 1,020 | 2023 | up 35.3% | rising |
| 181 | Kiribati | 1,001 | 2023 | down 7.7% | rising |
| 182 | Bermuda | 972 | 2023 | down 39.5% | rising |
| 183 | Gibraltar | 955 | 2023 | up 26.5% | volatile |
| 184 | North Korea | 899 | 2023 | down 34.0% | volatile |
| 185 | Belize | 879 | 2023 | up 5.8% | rising |
| 186 | Saint Lucia | 769 | 2023 | down 19.3% | falling |
| 187 | Seychelles | 740 | 2023 | up 59.1% | rising |
| 188 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 733 | 2023 | down 4.7% | rising |
| 189 | Cayman Islands | 704 | 2023 | up 72.5% | volatile |
| 190 | Puerto Rico | 678 | 2023 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 191 | Antigua and Barbuda | 640 | 2023 | up 9.2% | rising |
| 192 | San Marino | 538 | 2023 | down 71.3% | volatile |
| 193 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 496 | 2023 | up 9.0% | rising |
| 194 | Monaco | 473 | 2023 | up 32.5% | rising |
| 195 | Grenada | 453 | 2023 | down 19.1% | rising |
| 196 | Tuvalu | 399 | 2023 | down 6.6% | rising |
| 197 | British Virgin Islands | 326 | 2023 | down 6.9% | rising |
| 198 | Aruba | 300 | 2023 | up 31.0% | rising |
| 199 | Marshall Islands | 184 | 2023 | down 2.6% | rising |
| 200 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 169 | 2023 | up 29.0% | rising |
| 201 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 152 | 2023 | up 406.7% | rising |
| 202 | Nauru | 133 | 2023 | up 1.5% | rising |
| 203 | Curaçao | 105 | 2023 | up 176.3% | rising |
| 204 | Micronesia (country) | 94 | 2023 | down 58.2% | rising |
| 205 | Palau | 49 | 2023 | up 36.1% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- MDG: World 7.29 million
- SDG: World 7.29 million
- UIS: World 7.29 million
- UNICEF: World 7.29 million
- WB: World 7.29 million
- UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 5.33 million
- WB: Ida & Ibrd Total 5.08 million
- MDG: Developing Regions 5.05 million
- WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) 4.99 million
- WB: Middle Income (july 2025) 4.63 million
- WB: Ibrd Only 3.75 million
- ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400) 3.50 million
About this data
February 2026 Data Release