China vs India: Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound)

China
-815,096 number
in 2018
India
-328,978 number
in 2018
China rank
136th
India rank
135th

Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) over time

  • China
  • India
-800.0k-600.0k-400.0k-200.0k0200020092018

How they compare

India currently reports -328,978 number against -815,096 number in China, a difference of 486,118 number.

Across all 9 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.

China ranks 136th and India ranks 135th of 136 countries.

India has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China India Difference Ahead
2000s -366,788 number -135,313 number 231,475 number India
2010s -685,318 number -221,920 number 463,399 number India

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound), China or India?
India, at -328,978 number against -815,096 number in China as of 2018.
What is the difference in net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound) between China and India?
486,118 number, with India ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
9 years are reported by both, from 2006 to 2018.
How do China and India rank globally for net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound)?
China ranks 136th and India ranks 135th of 136 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound), both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs India: Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/net-flow-of-internationally-mobile-students-inbound-outbound-both-sexes-number/china/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Net flow of internationally mobile students (inbound - outbound), both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
136 places, 1,866 data points, 1998–2018
Last refreshed

Number of tertiary students from abroad (inbound students) studying in a given country minus the number of students at the same level from a given country studying abroad (outbound students).