Australia is closing in on overtaking the UK in at least one measure of international education after new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed the economic impact of the industry registered a sixth consecutive year of growth in 2018.
The latest statistics revealed the value of Australia’s education exports improved 15% to reach $34.9bn during 2018.
“Over decades of investment, hard work and the commitment of world-class scholars, teachers and administrators, Australia has established a global reputation as a leader in higher education,” education minister Dan Tehan said.
“Australia has a vibrant and high-performing international education sector, so much so the British-based Centre for Global Higher Education predicted Australia will leapfrog the UK to become the world’s second most popular destination for international students this year.”
Announcing the new economic figures, Tehan reiterated the government’s ambition to increase the number of international students in regional Australia.