The current edition of "Wissenschaft weltoffen" once again provides detailed time series data on the international mobility of students and academics. For the first time, "Wissenschaft weltoffen" also includes a chapter on the structural characteristics of internationalisation in research and teaching at German universities. In addition to the six regular chapters, there are also six short spotlight chapters which, among other things, shed light on academic exchange between Germany and the USA , the reasons for studying in Germany and the development of English-language degree programmes in Germany and worldwide.
With over 75,000 foreign researchers at universities and public research institutions, Germany overtook the United Kingdom in 2021 and further strengthened its position as an attractive science location. Only the USA, with 86,000 international researchers, is ahead of Germany. Almost 80 percent of international researchers in Germany work at universities - including around 4,000 professors - and around 20 percent at non-university research institutions. Most international researchers came from India (6,700), China (5,900) and Italy (5,800).
International students in Germany
The number of international students in Germany continues to rise: in the winter semester 2023/24, 379,900 international students were enrolled at German universities, an increase of three percent compared to the previous year. International students therefore make up almost 13 percent of the total student body. The increase in first-year students from abroad is particularly noteworthy: in the 2022 academic year, almost 114,700 began their studies in Germany - also a record.
The most important countries of origin for international students are India with around 49,000 and China with around 38,700 students. Turkey continues to gain in importance as a country of origin and is now in third place for the first time with around 18,100 students, followed by Austria (15,400) and Iran (15,200). Syria, which has been one of the top five countries of origin since 2019, is now in sixth place (13,400). Most international students were enrolled at universities in North Rhine-Westphalia (78,500), followed by Bavaria (61,400) and Berlin (40,800).
German students abroad
The number of German students abroad remained at just under 138,000 in 2021, representing a slight decline of two per cent in the last five years. However, the number has quadrupled since 1991 and doubled again since 2000. The most popular destination countries for German students continue to be Austria (36,100), the Netherlands (24,400) and Switzerland (12,400). While the numbers in these countries have risen, the number of German students in the UK has fallen with the implementation of Brexit and the associated high tuition fees for foreign students - from around 15,300 in 2018 to 11,100 in 2021.
Student mobility increased by 60 percent worldwide
According to UNESCO, around 6.4 million students were enrolled at a university outside their home country in 2021. Since 2011, the number of internationally mobile students has risen by around 2.4 million or almost 60 per cent. The USA is the leading host country for international students, with around 833,000 students from abroad most recently. China is the most important country of origin with around 996,000 students at universities around the world in 2021. Both countries recorded declines due to the pandemic: in 2019, 960,000 international students were enrolled in the USA and 1.1 million Chinese students studied abroad.
