Spain International Student Statistics

Historical International Student Statistics in Spain

• In a period of five years, the number of international student enrollment has increased significantly, by 36% —from 153,193 to 208,366 students.
• Most international students in Spain are enrolled in ordinary enrollment (153,089), whereas 55,277 are enrolled in mobility programs.
• From 2015/16 to 2019/20, the number of students enrolled in mobility programs increased by 7.8%.
• On the other hand, international students enrolled in ordinary enrollment increased by 50% from 2015/16 to 2019/20.
• From 2015/16 to 2017/18 the number of international enrollment in Spain increased by 20.8%.
• Whereas an increase of 12.5% occurred between 2017/18 and 2019/20.

Where Do International Students in Spain Come From?

• Italy is the country with the most international students in Spain, with 21,441 students.
• In comparison, Hungary has the least number of international students in Spain (504).
• Italy has continued to be the top country with the most international students in Spain in the last five years, with an increase of 20.3% from 2015/16.
• In 2015/16, the second country with the highest number of international students was France (11,331), to continue in second place until 2018/19 with 15,793 students.
• The majority of international students enrolled in ordinary enrollment come from Colombia, with 15,409 students, a 57.8% increase from 2015/16 and a 34.8% increase from 2017/18.
• In 2015/16, Ecuador was ranked fourth for bringing the most international students in Spain, with a total of 8,685 students. This changed in the last two years with a significant increase of 92.9% —to 16,758 students.
• The number of international students coming from the United States increased slightly from 2017/18 to 2019/20, by 5.9%.
• The country with the highest number of international students enrolled in mobility programs is Italy, with 9,402 students, followed by the United States with 6,818 students. These positions have remained the same in the last five years.
• On the other hand, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, and Paraguay are the countries with the least number of foreigners enrolled in mobility programs (less than 15 students).

Here are the top 12 countries sending the most international students to Spain:

Private or Public University: What Do International Students in Spain Choose?

• There are a total of 146,352 international students enrolled in public universities in Spain. That is a 21.9% increase in a period of five years.
• In comparison, there are 62,014 foreigners enrolled in private universities. That is an 86.9% increase from 2015/16.
• There are 45,983 international students enrolled in mobility programs in public universities, and 100,369 are enrolled in ordinary programs.
• Whereas in private universities, there are 9,294 international students enrolled in mobility programs and 52,720 in ordinary enrollment.
• The majority of international students enrolled in public universities come from Italy (15,737), followed by China with 11,628 students.
• On the other hand, Ecuador is the top country with the highest number of international students enrolled in private universities.
• Taiwan is ranked last in the number of international students enrolled in public universities (243 students).
• Moldova is the country with the least number of international students enrolled in private universities —only 37 students.

Where Do International Students in Spain Go: A Regional Comparison

• Madrid holds first place for the highest number of foreign students enrolled in higher education studies in Spain, a total of 45,181 students.
• Catalonia is ranked second in the Spanish regions with the most international students, with 43,184 students in total, followed by Andalusia with 25,115 international students.
• There are 22,841 international students enrolled in the Valencian Community in Spain.
• Ranked fifth and sixth in the Spanish regions with international students are the autonomous communities of Castile and León with 12,599 students and the Basque Country with 5,231 international students.
• Other Spanish regions that welcome international students include Murcia with 5,091 students, Galicia (4,996), Navarre (4,535), Aragon (3,419), Cantabria (2,531), Castile-La Mancha (2,119), Asturias (1,452), and finally, Extremadura with 1,052 international students.

International Students in Spain by Sex

• There are 121,800 international female students enrolled in higher education studies in Spain.
• On the other hand, there are 86,566 international male students enrolled in Spanish universities.
• Of the total international female enrollment in Spain, 35,499 of them are enrolled in mobility programs.
• In comparison, 86,301 foreign female students enrolled in higher education institutions in Spain are registered in ordinary enrollment.
• Of the total male enrollment in Spanish universities, 19,778 of them are enrolled in mobility programs, and 66,788 are in regular enrollment.
• There are 87,222 female international students enrolled in public universities in Spain.
• On the other hand, 34,578 international women students are enrolled in private universities.
• Of the total international male students enrolled in universities in Spain, 59,130 of them are enrolled in public universities, whereas 27,436 are enrolled in private Spanish institutions.
• The majority of both female and male enrollment in Spanish universities come from Italy.