Britain, Italy, and Spain were the top destinations for American students who received credit for study abroad in 2015-16. More than half of such students headed for Europe. Outside Europe, the top destinations were China, Australia, and Costa Rica. Less than 4 percent of study-abroad students went to sub-Saharan Africa, but that region experienced an increase of nearly 20 percent from 2014-15 to 2015-16. Among the three top destinations in each subregion, Gambia and Ghana, both in West Africa, saw the greatest one-year increases in American students’ studying abroad.
Return to the Almanac home page, or go to the Profession, Students, Finance, or States section. To purchase a copy of the Almanac in print or as a downloadable interactive PDF, visit the Chronicle Store. Help guide us to give you the data you need by taking our 10-minute online Almanac survey.
| AFRICA, SUB-SAHARAN | 12,738 | 10,647 | 19.6% | 3.9% |
| East Africa | 3,384 | 2,919 | 15.9% | 1.0% |
| Tanzania | 1,254 | 1,216 | 3.1% | 0.4% |
| Uganda | 722 | 527 | 37.0% | 0.2% |
| Kenya | 681 | 634 | 7.4% | 0.2% |
| Central Africa | 99 | 152 | -34.9% | 0.0% |
| Cameroon | 53 | 92 | -42.4% | 0.0% |
| Equatorial Guinea | 22 | 17 | 29.4% | 0.0% |
| Gabon | 14 | 20 | -30.0% | 0.0% |
| Southern Africa | 7,185 | 6,542 | 9.8% | 2.2% |
| South Africa | 5,782 | 5,249 | 10.2% | 1.8% |
| Botswana | 266 | 279 | -4.7% | 0.1% |
| Zambia | 262 | 299 | -12.4% | 0.1% |
| West Africa | 2,070 | 1,034 | 100.2% | 0.6% |
| Ghana | 1,564 | 737 | 112.2% | 0.5% |
| Senegal | 281 | 199 | 41.2% | 0.1% |
| Gambia | 73 | 25 | 192.0% | 0.0% |
| ASIA | 36,193 | 35,713 | 1.3% | 11.1% |
| East Asia | 25,122 | 24,825 | 1.2% | 7.7% |
| China | 11,688 | 12,790 | -8.6% | 3.6% |
| Japan | 7,145 | 6,053 | 18.0% | 2.2% |
| South Korea | 3,622 | 3,520 | 2.9% | 1.1% |
| South and Central Asia | 4,980 | 5,162 | -3.5% | 1.5% |
| India | 4,181 | 4,438 | -5.8% | 1.3% |
| Nepal | 370 | 368 | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| Sri Lanka | 145 | 121 | 19.8% | 0.0% |
| Southeast Asia | 6,091 | 5,726 | 6.4% | 1.9% |
| Thailand | 2,093 | 2,096 | -0.1% | 0.6% |
| Vietnam | 1,012 | 922 | 9.8% | 0.3% |
| Singapore | 969 | 1,080 | -10.3% | 0.3% |
| EUROPE | 176,890 | 170,879 | 3.5% | 54.4% |
| Britain | 39,140 | 38,189 | 2.5% | 12.0% |
| Italy | 34,894 | 33,768 | 3.3% | 10.7% |
| Spain | 29,975 | 28,325 | 5.8% | 9.2% |
| LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN | 53,105 | 50,298 | 5.6% | 16.3% |
| Caribbean | 10,257 | 8,344 | 22.9% | 3.2% |
| Cuba | 3,781 | 2,384 | 58.6% | 1.2% |
| Dominican Republic | 2,001 | 2,146 | -6.8% | 0.6% |
| Jamaica | 1,153 | 1,047 | 10.1% | 0.4% |
| Mexico and Central America | 23,961 | 22,788 | 5.1% | 7.4% |
| Costa Rica | 9,233 | 9,305 | -0.8% | 2.8% |
| Mexico | 5,178 | 4,712 | 9.9% | 1.6% |
| Belize | 2,703 | 2,590 | 4.4% | 0.8% |
| South America | 18,887 | 19,166 | -1.5% | 5.8% |
| Argentina | 3,846 | 3,708 | 3.7% | 1.2% |
| Ecuador | 3,751 | 3,746 | 0.1% | 1.2% |
| Peru | 3,513 | 3,481 | 0.9% | 1.1% |
| MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA | 6,044 | 6,844 | -11.7% | 1.9% |
| Middle East | 4,498 | 5,276 | -14.7% | 1.4% |
| Israel | 2,435 | 3,317 | -26.6% | 0.7% |
| Jordan | 969 | 985 | -1.6% | 0.3% |
| United Arab Emirates | 718 | 619 | 16.0% | 0.2% |
| North Africa | 1,546 | 1,568 | -1.4% | 0.5% |
| Morocco | 1,403 | 1,413 | -0.7% | 0.4% |
| Egypt | 124 | 109 | 13.8% | 0.0% |
| Tunisia | 19 | 46 | -58.7% | 0.0% |
| NORTH AMERICA | 1,716 | 1,569 | 9.4% | 0.5% |
| Canada | 1,716 | 1,569 | 9.4% | 0.5% |
| OCEANIA | 13,815 | 12,614 | 9.5% | 4.2% |
| Australia | 9,536 | 8,810 | 8.2% | 2.9% |
| New Zealand | 3,806 | 3,325 | 14.5% | 1.2% |
| Fiji | 266 | 249 | 6.8% | 0.1% |
| ANTARCTICA | 87 | 64 | 35.9% | 0.0% |
| MULTI-DESTINATION | 24,751 | 24,787 | -0.1% | 7.6% |
| WORLD TOTAL | 325,339 | 313,415 | 3.8% | 100.0% |
Note: Data on American students who received credit for studying abroad in 2015-16 are based on a survey conducted by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The data represent 1,412 accredited institutions for 2015-16 and are compared with 1,399 institutions for 2014-15. The three countries that drew the most study-abroad students from the United States in 2015-16 are shown for each subregion. Percentage distribution may not add up to 100 percent because of rounding. Questions or comments on the Almanac should be sent to the Almanac editor.
Source: Institute of International Education. “Host Regions and Destinations of U.S. Study Abroad Students, 2014/15 to 2015/16" Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, 2017.