This page contains information on the education export income, for the calendar year 2023
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International education was worth $47.8 billion to the Australian economy.
There was $30.5 billion paid as Goods and Services and $17.1 billion paid as Tuition fees.
| Top five exports | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Ore | 96185 | 116929 | 154654 | 124213 | 136159 |
| Coal | 63941 | 43367 | 63504 | 142344 | 103130 |
| Natural Gas | 48654 | 36208 | 49810 | 90342 | 74215 |
| Education-related | 40068 | 31688 | 22023 | 26590 | 47819 |
| Gold | 23372 | 25492 | 23281 | 23514 | 28352 |
| State | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 14530 | 11429 | 7815 | 9715 | 17948 |
| VIC | 13555 | 10485 | 6897 | 8357 | 14826 |
| QLD | 5745 | 4576 | 3253 | 3798 | 6709 |
| SA | 2160 | 1873 | 1598 | 1816 | 3152 |
| WA | 2157 | 1838 | 1276 | 1580 | 2940 |
| ACT | 1079 | 766 | 596 | 773 | 1473 |
| TAS | 688 | 551 | 432 | 406 | 547 |
| NT | 155 | 171 | 157 | 144 | 225 |
Education export income by sector (A$ million)
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Higher Education | $27,535 | $21,110 | $13,822 | $17,822 | $31,775 |
| Vocational Education and Training | $7,925 | $7,817 | $6,998 | $6,556 | $11,149 |
| Schools | $1,455 | $1,152 | $769 | $635 | $1,080 |
| English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) | $1,638 | $842 | $176 | $974 | $2,641 |
| Non-award | $1,064 | $415 | $50 | $362 | $816 |
| Other | $451 | $352 | $208 | $241 | $358 |
| Total | $40,068 | $31,688 | $22,023 | $26,590 | $47,819 |
Note: Other incorporates New Zealanders and students supported by DFAT or Defence
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 12540 | 7586 | 4446 | 5972 | 11397 |
| India | 6364 | 6048 | 4218 | 4408 | 8105 |
| Nepal | 2960 | 2724 | 2128 | 2579 | 4099 |
| Vietnam | 1440 | 1286 | 973 | 1176 | 1964 |
| Philippines | 759 | 845 | 638 | 691 | 1857 |
| Colombia | 820 | 802 | 662 | 688 | 1605 |
| Pakistan | 816 | 765 | 575 | 673 | 1499 |
| Thailand | 756 | 598 | 445 | 674 | 1443 |
| Indonesia | 1001 | 879 | 599 | 856 | 1374 |
| Malaysia | 1361 | 1076 | 711 | 819 | 1123 |
| Rest of the world | 11197 | 9079 | 6628 | 8054 | 13353 |
Considerations for interpreting this data
- The figures in the tables above represent the data on international education exports released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in its International Trade in Services series.
- The total export income generated by all international education activity includes spending by onshore students as well as earnings from other educational services and royalties. The ABS uses the term ‘education-related personal travel’ for this term.
- Includes international students studying onshore on student visas only.
- Export income does not include income generated by the operations of offshore campuses of Australian institutions.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data