UIS · Outbound Mobility Ratio, Tertiary
Students studying abroad (outbound mobility) by country
How many of a country's university students study abroad, compared with those enrolled at home?
Of the 117 countries compared in 2023, Cook Islands had the highest reading, 1,724.1102%, and Argentina had the lowest reading, 0.3331%. In the middle country the figure was 5.2785%. Among the 37 countries measured in every edition since 1998, the middle one moved from 3.6593% to 4.6046%.
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Students studying abroad (outbound mobility) · 2023
Context statistic
Highest of 117Cook Islands
1,724.1102%012023 · values only
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 117 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Lowest in 2023
Argentina0.3331%
Puerto Rico0.4260%
United States0.6546%
This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Seychelles71.3954% - AmericasBermuda166.6550%
- Asia
Bhutan94.5703% - EuropeLuxembourg167.1777%
- OceaniaCook Islands1,724.1102%
- Every region
02Every measured country
Students studying abroad (outbound mobility) on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 0.3331–1.9491%
- 2.0060–4.0315%
- 4.1410–6.0694%
- 6.2038–14.4076%
- 17.2411–1,724.1102%
- No reading in 2023 (80 measured in an earlier edition)
- Oceania
26.5340%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 21 members
Cook Islands1,724.1102%
Australia0.7791%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Asia
5.8503%
the middle country, of 34 measured · 52 members
Bhutan94.5703%
Indonesia0.7123%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Europe
5.7831%
the middle country, of 41 measured · 49 members
Luxembourg167.1777%
Russia0.9311%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Africa
5.2480%
the middle country, of 18 measured · 55 members
Seychelles71.3954%
South Africa1.1122%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Americas
2.2073%
the middle country, of 19 measured · 48 members
Bermuda166.6550%Argentina0.3331%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Caribbean
20.0492%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 24 members
Sint Maarten85.0286%Puerto Rico0.4260%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Western Asia
10.1197%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 19 members
Cyprus44.4726%
Israel4.5900%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Southern Asia
7.9037%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 9 members
Bhutan94.5703%
Bangladesh1.9192%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Eastern Europe
5.9572%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Moldova23.8833%Russia0.9311%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Southern Europe
5.9262%
the middle country, of 14 measured · 17 members
Andorra62.3416%
Spain2.1399%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Africa
5.7776%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 19 members
Seychelles71.3954%
Tanzania2.5035%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Europe
4.9814%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Luxembourg167.1777%
Netherlands1.9204%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
4.6046%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 13 members
Iceland12.6917%
United Kingdom1.2793%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Eastern Asia
3.8427%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
Hong Kong14.4076%
Japan0.8637%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
3.5880%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 11 members
Brunei17.2411%Indonesia0.7123%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Central America
2.2073%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
Belize9.8630%
Mexico0.7426%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- South America
1.5438%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 12 members
Ecuador3.3459%Argentina0.3331%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand1.9019%Australia0.7791%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Central Asia
2 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan64.5118%
Kyrgyzstan5.7283%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Middle Africa
3 of 9 measured — too few for a middle: Angola, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo.
Republic of the Congo25.5426%
Angola3.5990%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Northern Africa
4 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia.
Tunisia9.5950%
Egypt1.8363%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Northern America
3 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, United States.
Bermuda166.6550%United States0.6546%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
3 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga.
Cook Islands1,724.1102%
Tonga26.5340%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Southern Africa
2 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Botswana, South Africa.
Botswana5.1464%South Africa1.1122%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Western Africa
4 of 16 measured — too few for a middle: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal.
Senegal6.8135%
Ghana3.3941%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
03The whole field at once
The spread
117 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 5.2785%; a quarter are above 11.9439%, and a quarter below 2.5405%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
Log scale: each gridline is ten times the one before, so countries of very different sizes can be seen on one line.
04All 197 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. Neither end is better — a high ratio can mean a brain drain or a well-connected middle class, a low one a strong home system or students who cannot afford to go. And it is not capped at 100: the comparison is with the home system, so a country with few universities of its own can send abroad many times more students than it enrols.
Showing 25 of 197 countries
Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051998–2023 · 26 editions
Over time
Each point is one year from 1998. Female and male ratios are stored beside the headline where the UNESCO Institute for Statistics publishes them.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 37 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 117 | 5.2785% | 2.5405% – 11.9439% | 4.6046% |
| 2022 | 111 | 5.4253% | 2.8188% – 10.3858% | 4.7172% |
| 2021 | 107 | 5.6351% | 2.7696% – 11.3775% | 4.7800% |
| 2020 | 120 | 5.8511% | 2.8658% – 11.4533% | 4.8116% |
| 2019 | 122 | 5.9732% | 3.1386% – 10.6736% | 5.0403% |
| 2018 | 127 | 5.8377% | 2.2952% – 12.1527% | 4.8742% |
| 2017 | 127 | 5.7457% | 2.5274% – 12.0057% | 4.7824% |
| 2016 | 130 | 5.4353% | 2.3070% – 9.5078% | 4.5475% |
| 2015 | 141 | 5.4551% | 2.4381% – 11.4174% | 4.0580% |
| 2014 | 133 | 5.5443% | 2.2646% – 10.0144% | 4.0912% |
| 2013 | 128 | 5.1785% | 2.1022% – 8.4797% | 4.1299% |
| 2012 | 140 | 5.4739% | 2.1268% – 10.0106% | 3.9649% |
| 2011 | 138 | 5.7806% | 2.2619% – 11.0333% | 3.7020% |
| 2010 | 134 | 5.9896% | 2.5175% – 12.8461% | 3.6145% |
| 2009 | 132 | 5.4415% | 2.2594% – 11.6516% | 3.5315% |
| 2008 | 129 | 5.1519% | 2.1917% – 14.1356% | 3.2573% |
| 2007 | 121 | 4.9640% | 1.9825% – 11.1122% | 2.9172% |
| 2006 | 123 | 5.2128% | 2.1758% – 16.0633% | 2.6361% |
| 2005 | 124 | 4.8835% | 1.9552% – 15.3137% | 2.4885% |
| 2004 | 126 | 5.1620% | 1.9976% – 15.6489% | 2.6780% |
| 2003 | 127 | 5.5956% | 2.1819% – 18.2847% | 3.0991% |
| 2002 | 126 | 5.7964% | 2.0001% – 17.0372% | 2.9236% |
| 2001 | 115 | 6.1322% | 1.9783% – 17.8672% | 3.2243% |
| 2000 | 117 | 5.5819% | 1.9311% – 16.5668% | 3.2878% |
| 1999 | 128 | 5.9228% | 2.0535% – 17.7519% | 3.2635% |
| 1998 | 83 | 3.7594% | 1.9282% – 13.5171% | 3.6593% |
062022 → 2023
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → after- Bhutan39.1615% → 94.5703%+55.4088
- Seychelles54.3406% → 71.3954%+17.0548
British Virgin Islands39.1282% → 53.0669%+13.9387- Sint Maarten75.8644% → 85.0286%+9.1642
Samoa31.2387% → 39.3136%+8.0749
Fell most
before → after- Andorra112.8386% → 62.3416%−50.4970
- Luxembourg172.5295% → 167.1777%−5.3519
Monaco45.1059% → 40.7740%−4.3319- Cyprus48.2635% → 44.4726%−3.7909
- Turkmenistan67.9536% → 64.5118%−3.4417
98 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023. The field changed from 111 to 117 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Students studying abroad (outbound mobility) in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
12,550.0000%
Outbound mobility ratio, tertiary (% of tertiary enrolment at home)
Lowest reading on record
0.1797%
Outbound mobility ratio, tertiary (% of tertiary enrolment at home)
Biggest rise between editions
+997.1818
128.5100% → 1,125.6918%
Biggest fall between editions
−1,006.4729
1,125.6918% → 119.2188%
Biggest change since first measured
+1,682.3059
41.8044% → 1,724.1102%
Highest most often
9 of 26
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08By sex
Inside the number
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) also publishes separate female and male readings. The gap between them, where both exist.
Of the 116 countries with both readings, the female reading is higher in 31, the male reading in 85. The widest gaps each way:
09The measure
About students studying abroad (outbound mobility)
The outbound mobility ratio counts a country’s students enrolled at universities abroad, as a share of the students enrolled at home. It is the mirror of the inbound mobility rate: that one says who comes in, this one who leaves.
What the number is: Outbound mobility ratio, tertiary (% of tertiary enrolment at home).
10Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Education & Knowledge and Mobility & Trade, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Education & KnowledgeMobility & TradeWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where students studying abroad (outbound mobility) is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Services ExportsUNCTAD · 104 countries in commonρ 0.46
- Imports of Goods and Services (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 92 countries in commonρ 0.45
Moves against
Where students studying abroad (outbound mobility) is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Agricultural EmissionsFAO · 111 countries in commonρ −0.73
- Total PopulationUN DESA Population Division · 117 countries in commonρ −0.72
- World Risk IndexKeyInstitute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV), Ruhr University Bochum · 109 countries in commonρ −0.69
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 307 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
11Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
12Questions
Students studying abroad (outbound mobility): questions and answers
Which country has the highest students studying abroad (outbound mobility)?
Cook Islands, at 1,724.1102%, among the 117 countries compared in 2023.
Which country has the lowest students studying abroad (outbound mobility)?
Argentina, at 0.3331%, among the 117 countries compared in 2023.
How many countries does the Outbound Mobility Ratio, Tertiary cover?
117 in 2023, and 197 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 83 to 141 between editions.
What is the world average students studying abroad (outbound mobility)?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 117 compared in 2023, the figure was 5.2785%.
Is this UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the Outbound Mobility Ratio, Tertiary published?
This site holds 26 editions, describing 1998 to 2023.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the UNESCO Institute for Statistics data API. Most values are UIS estimates, because the count abroad is built from what host countries report about where their foreign students come from. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Outbound Mobility Ratio, Tertiary — UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
From the UNESCO Institute for Statistics data API. Most values are UIS estimates, because the count abroad is built from what host countries report about where their foreign students come from.
Newest edition
Report year 2023Data year 2023
Cite the source as: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. UIS Data Browser. Montreal: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-26.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Students studying abroad (outbound mobility) by country: Outbound Mobility Ratio, Tertiary, data from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/outbound-mobility