Explore key data and trends in Victoria's international education sector with our top charts on education-related services exports, student enrolments, commencements, sector share, top student nationalities, and offshore primary student visa lodgements.
Education-related services exports, Victoria
By calendar year 2019 – 2024, $billion
View the data for education-related services exports:
| Year | Education-related services exports, Victoria |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $13.6 billion |
| 2020 | $10.5 billion |
| 2021 | $6.9 billion |
| 2022 | $8.4 billion |
| 2023* | $14.8 billion |
| 2024 | $15.9 billion |
*Note: The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revised the 2023 calendar year data in the 2024 reference period due to changes and revisions. Reference to the 2023 calendar year pertain to ABS data reported in the 2023 reference period, not 2024.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics International Trade: Supplementary Information, Calendar Year – Table 3. International trade in services, credits, state by calendar year, $m
International student enrolments, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date December 2019 - 2024; nearest thousand, ‘000
View the data for international student enrolments:
International student enrolments in Victoria:
| Year | International student enrolments, Victoria |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 307,000 |
| 2020 | 283,000 |
| 2021 | 227,000 |
| 2022 | 222,000 |
| 2023 | 286,000 |
| 2024 | 330,000 |
Source: Australian Government Department of Education International Student Data for the year-to-date (YTD) December 2024
International student commencements, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date December 2019 – 2024; nearest thousand, ‘000
View the data for international student commencements:
International student commencements in Victoria:
| Year | International student commencements, Victoria |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 161,000 |
| 2020 | 123,000 |
| 2021 | 86,000 |
| 2022 | 113,000 |
| 2023 | 163,000 |
| 2024 | 174,000 |
Source: Australian Government Department of Education International Student Data for the year-to-date (YTD) December 2024
Share of international student enrolments by sector, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date December 2024; share of total VIC enrolments, %
View the data for international student enrolments, by sector:
| Sector | Share of total Victorian enrolments |
|---|---|
| Higher education | 46.7% |
| VET | 36.7% |
| ELICOS | 11.8% |
| Non-award | 2.9% |
| Schools | 1.9% |
Source: Australian Government Department of Education International Student Data for the year-to-date (YTD) December 2024
Share of international student commencements by sector, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date December 2024; share of total VIC commencements, %
View the data for international student commencements, by sector:
| Sector | Share of total Victorian commencements |
|---|---|
| VET | 40.7% |
| Higher education | 38.8% |
| ELICOS | 14.7% |
| Non-award | 4.3% |
| Schools | 1.5% |
Source: Australian Government Department of Education International Student Data for the year-to-date (YTD) December 2024
Top 15 nationalities by international student enrolments, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date December 2024 and 2023; nearest hundred, ‘00
| Rank 2024 | Nationality | # of VIC enrolments in 2024 | Change in ranking from 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 78,400 | 0 |
| 2 | China | 64,300 | 0 |
| 3 | Vietnam | 19,700 | +1 |
| 4 | Colombia | 18,400 | -1 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 15,700 | +1 |
| 6 | Philippines | 15,300 | +2 |
| 7 | Nepal | 13,100 | 0 |
| 8 | Thailand | 12,900 | -3 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 10,100 | +1 |
| 10 | Malaysia | 9,800 | -1 |
| 11 | Indonesia | 9,000 | 0 |
| 12 | Bangladesh | 5,000 | +3 |
| 13 | Hong Kong SAR | 3,900 | -1 |
| 14 | Taiwan | 3,900 | 0 |
| 15 | Japan | 3,600 | -2 |
Source: Australian Government Department of Education International Student Data for the year-to-date (YTD) December 2024
Offshore primary student visas lodged, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date March 2019 – 2025; nearest thousand, ‘000
View the data for offshore primary international student visas lodged:
| Year | Offshore primary student visas lodged, Victoria |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 19,000 |
| 2020 | 16,000 |
| 2021 | 7,000 |
| 2022 | 18,000 |
| 2023 | 24,000 |
| 2024 | 19,000 |
| 2025 | 13,000 |
Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, student visas lodged at 31 March 2025
Further information
Explanatory notes
Read the explanatory notes for data on international students in Victoria.
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