WNAM REPORT: The latest data from the Korea Tourism Organization shows a 50.6% year-on-year increase in the number of international students in the first half of 2024, equating to 204.000 people. Noteworthy is the amount of students originating from Central Asian countries, in particular Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan,as per reports.
The new number has beat the record as it is the first time that the number of foreign students has exceeded 200,000 in six months. In the first half of 2022, the country received 55.000 students, while in the second half of the same year, the amount dropped to 97.000. However, these figures rose to 136.000 and 178.000, respectively, later in 2023.
The biggest number of international students are Chinese citizens – 112.000 people or 55.2% of the total. Vietnam ranks second with 33.000 students, followed by Japan and Mongolia.
Notably, Uzbekistan became one of the key Central Asian countries sending students to South Korea. In the first half of 2024, 5.000 Uzbek students chose South Korea for their studies. Kazakhstan also continues to maintain active educational cooperation with South Korea. In the first half of 2024, 1.022 Kazakh students arrived in Korea to study.
According to updated data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Kazakhstan ranks ninth in the world in terms of the number of students studying abroad, with 91.2 thousand people.
China and India continue to be the countries with the highest number of students studying abroad on a global scale. Specifically, over one million Chinese students (1,021 thousand) and 508.2 thousand Indian students are currently studying in other countries. In addition to Germany (126.4 thousand), Vietnam (137 thousand), and Uzbekistan (109.9 thousand) are among the leaders.
The United States, Great Britain, Australia, Germany, and Canada continue to be the most popular study abroad destinations.
