International student numbers will grow to 9 million by the end of the decade, but the next stage of expansion will likely look very different, according to a major new report from Unesco.
Analysing new data from 146 countries, the United Nations body found the number of students enrolled in higher education worldwide has more than doubled over the past two decades, reaching 269 million in 2024. But, it warns, this overall figure masks “stark regional disparities”.
International mobility has tripled over the same period, with nearly 7.3 million students studying abroad – a figure that is expected to climb to 9 million by 2030.
Among other findings:
Private institutions account for a third of global enrolment, with the highest share in Latin America and the Caribbean (49 per cent)
