The number of Italian university students abroad is growing

 

In 2019, 77,505 Italian university students were enrolled in foreign institutions, 1,382 more (+ 1.8%) than in 2018, as reported by the Institute for Statistics dell’UNESCO.

Since 2015, the number has increased steadily: 60,906 students who were enrolled abroad in that year, namely an increase in the last 5 years of 16,599 units. As a percentage, we are seeing an increase of the order of 27.2 % in five years.

This makes Italy the twelfth provider of university students worldwide, a few hundred units under Ukraine.

While the top two positions are occupied respectively by China and India, somehow a league of their own, the third is held by Vietnam, with 126,059 students in total. Vietnam went from just over 68,000 students in 2015 to almost double in 2019. A key market, as everyone in the industry knows.

Germany and France maintain the fourth and fifth positions worldwide, while the United States is experiencing a boom: during the last available year, American students headed abroad went from 86,029 to 102,247, ie. 16,2818 units, or 18.9% more. The US is rapidly gaining key market status, in addition to its established role as a destination #1?

Another interesting key study is Nepal, often closely associated with India (“India and Nepal”) by university marketing experts. In that country, the numbers reveal impressive performances: Nepal has grown, in the same period of time, from 40,539 to 93,921, or 53,363 students more. In other words, an increase of 131.6%. Today Nepal is in eighth place worldwide.

 

UNESCO – Top 12 Countries- Higher Education students headed abroad (2015 – 2019)

 

Position	STATE		2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
1	China		818 604		866 843		928 395		997 702		1 061 512
2	India		256 996		305 369		341 465		377 849		461 792
3	Viet Nam		68 010		82 644		94 608		108 301		126 059
4	Germany		117 088		118 081		122 958		122 524		122 445
5	France		86 691		90 836		94 756		99 567		103 161
6	USA		80 539		83 949		86 571		86 029		102 247
7	Republic of Korea		107 861		105 477		105 453		101 694		101 493
8	Nepal		40 558		49 468		64 355		82 047		93 921
9	Kazakhstan		78 253		90 213		84 859		88 118		89 292
10	Brazil		50 387		51 969		58 280		70 055		81 882
11	Ukraine		68 205		77 419		77 890		78 578		77 586
12	Italy		60 906		67 195		74 794		76 123		77 505

 

Photo by ConvertKit on Unsplash