Turkey among top 10 nations with highest number of international students

ISTANBUL

Turkey has acquired the 10th spot in the list of countries with the highest number of international students, according to data by UNESCO. 

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has compiled data on the countries hosting the most foreign students in the world, and Turkey has taken the 10th spot as it entertained 125,138 students in 2018.

According to the data, the U.S. has topped the list by hosting 987,314 out of 5,571,402 international students in the world who are studying in higher education institutions.

The U.S. was followed by the U.K. with 452,079 students and Australia with 444,514 students, respectively.

The share of international students was 1.07 percent in 2014, while this rate rose to 2.24 percent in 2018.

UNESCO releases its data on higher education every two to three years.

Mustafa Aydın, Head of the Education Committee of the Service Exporters Association (HİB), announced that the number of international students studying in the country had reached 200,000 this year, as a result of the devoted efforts of the stakeholders.

Aydın stated that next year, despite a difficult pandemic period, the number of international students would exceed 220,000 as a result of the hard work of the universities.

Expressing his satisfaction with the support of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) for the development of the sector, especially virtual fairs and promotional activities, Aydın thanked the authorities and universities.