Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in World

World: Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying was 5.57 million number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
5.57 million number
Change on year
up 4.5%
Rank
1st
of 45 groups
All-time high
5.57 million number
in 2018
All-time low
1.95 million number
in 1997
Years of data
22
1997–2018

Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in World, 1997–2018

02.0M4.0M6.0M1997200720181997: 2.0M number1998: 2.0M number1999: 2.0M number2000: 2.1M number2001: 2.2M number2002: 2.5M number2003: 2.7M number2004: 2.7M number2005: 2.8M number2006: 2.9M number2007: 3.1M number2008: 3.3M number2009: 3.5M number2010: 3.8M number2011: 4.0M number2012: 4.1M number2013: 4.2M number2014: 4.5M number2015: 4.8M number2016: 5.1M number2017: 5.3M number2018: 5.6M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

World recorded 5.57 million number for total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in 2018. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.5% on the previous year and up 67.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in World peaked at 5.57 million number in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.95 million number, in 1997.

World ranks 1st of 45 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in World, year by year

Annual values for Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying abroad, all countries, both sexes (number) in World, 1997 to 2018.
Year number Change
1997 1.95 million number
1998 1.95 million number +0.0%
1999 2.03 million number +4.2%
2000 2.10 million number +3.2%
2001 2.18 million number +3.9%
2002 2.46 million number +12.9%
2003 2.65 million number +7.8%
2004 2.70 million number +1.6%
2005 2.82 million number +4.8%
2006 2.91 million number +3.0%
2007 3.10 million number +6.4%
2008 3.32 million number +7.3%
2009 3.54 million number +6.5%
2010 3.78 million number +6.7%
2011 3.99 million number +5.6%
2012 4.06 million number +1.8%
2013 4.23 million number +4.2%
2014 4.50 million number +6.2%
2015 4.79 million number +6.5%
2016 5.09 million number +6.4%
2017 5.33 million number +4.7%
2018 5.57 million number +4.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.98 million number 1.95 million number 2.03 million number 3
2000s 2.78 million number 2.10 million number 3.54 million number 10
2010s 4.59 million number 3.78 million number 5.57 million number 9

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 China 993,367 number compare
  2. 2 India 375,055 number compare
  3. 3 Germany 122,538 number compare
  4. 4 Vietnam 108,527 number compare

See the full ranking of 250 places →

More education data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in World?
Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in World was 5.57 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 5.57 million number in 2018.
What is the lowest total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 1.95 million number in 1997.
How does World rank for total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying?
World ranks 1st out of 45 groups with data for 2018.
Is total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 67.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this World data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying abroad, all countries, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying in World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/total-outbound-internationally-mobile-tertiary-students-studying-abroad-all-countries/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Total outbound internationally mobile tertiary students studying abroad, all countries, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
250 places, 5,215 data points, 1997–2018
Last refreshed

Students who have crossed a national or territorial border for the purpose of education and are now enrolled outside their country of origin.