The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) has described Nigeria as the third-largest source of international students globally.
In its inaugural Higher Education Global Trends Report published on Tuesday, UNESCO said Nigeria accounted for 5 per cent of all internationally mobile students in 2023, placing the country alongside Germany in third position globally.
The report described “out-bound student mobility” as the movement of students leaving their home countries to pursue higher education abroad, noting that nearly half of all international students globally came from just 10 countries.
UNESCO gave the breakdown as follow: China topped the list with 37 per cent, followed by India with 29 per cent, while Nigeria and Germany each accounted for five per cent. Vietnam, Uzbekistan, the United States, France, Pakistan and Nepal each recorded four per cent.
Together, the 10 countries accounted for 45 per cent of all international students worldwide in 2023, underlining the growing concentration of global student migration among a small group of nations.
UNESCO also noted a sharp rise in international student mobility over the past two decades, revealing that the number of students studying abroad increased from 2.5 million in 2002 to 7.3 million in 2023, with projections indicating the figure could hit nine million by 2030.
Despite the increase, the organisation said access to international education remains limited for most students across the world.
“Despite growth expectations, the proportion of higher education students benefiting from academic mobility remains low, just under 3 percent, underscoring the elitist nature of mobility as still only a privileged few individuals gain access to higher education opportunities abroad,” the report said.
UNESCO identified economic realities, the quality of domestic universities, scholarship availability, visa policies and post-study work opportunities as some of the major reasons students choose to study overseas.
The report further showed that 35 per cent of countries around the world now operate formal policies designed to encourage more students to pursue education outside their home countries.
