Economic impact of international education in Canada - 2020 update
3. International students and Canada's export
International student expenditures represent revenue from goods and services from overseas, hence international student spending is an export of international education services from Canada.
In this section, we compare the value of international education services, as measured by total spending in Canada, with the total export of services and merchandise from Canada. We also provide a comparison of the total value of international student spending by the top 10 source countries with the value of Canada's exports to these countries.
In Canada's official account of the balance of payment, spending by international students is captured under "education-related personal travel," which is part of Canada's total export in services. We believe that Statistics Canada's estimate of education-related personal travel may be underestimating the true value of total spending by international students and therefore present an alternate way of evaluating such spending in this report by including all student expenditure channels.
3.1. Spending by international students and Canada's trade
In 2017, the total value of international student spending in Canada was over $18.4 billion. Canada's total export of services in 2017, which includes spending by international students and was worth $122.3 billion. Hence, international student expenditures equal 15.0% of the total value of Canada's service exports. The total value of international student spending in 2018 was over $22.3 billion in Canada, an increase of 21.2% from 2017. By contrast, Canada's total export of services in 2018 grew 4.7% from the year before. The value of international student expenditures accounted for 17.4% of Canada's total value of export of services.
3.2. The trade impact of international students from top 10 source countries
In the international student market, the top 10 source countries account for almost three quarters of the overall number of students. China, India and South Korea are the top three source countries for long-term students. Japan and Brazil are the top two source countries for short-term students. Tables 3.1 through 3.4 provide the detailed breakdown.
In terms of source countries, the number of students from China accounted for about a third of the total number of the long-term students. In fact, students from the top three source countries (China, India and South Korea) accounted for a little over half of all long-term students.
Brazil and Japan are the two top countries for students studying in short-term language training programs in Canada. Students from the top 10 source countries accounted for over 86% of all such students.
| Country | # of Students | % of all Countries Total |
|---|---|---|
| China, People's Republic of | 139,610 | 28.40% |
| India | 123,190 | 25.10% |
| Korea, Republic of | 22,940 | 4.70% |
| France | 21,845 | 4.40% |
| Vietnam | 13,905 | 2.80% |
| United States | 13,745 | 2.80% |
| Brazil | 11,795 | 2.40% |
| Nigeria | 10,785 | 2.20% |
| Japan | 7,960 | 1.60% |
| Saudi Arabia | 7,610 | 1.50% |
| Top Ten Total | 373,385 | 76.00% |
| All Countries Total | 491,135 | 100.00% |
| Country | # of Students | % of all Countries Total |
|---|---|---|
| India | 171,730 | 30.20% |
| China, People's Republic of | 141,995 | 25.00% |
| Korea, Republic of | 24,070 | 4.20% |
| France | 22,540 | 4.00% |
| Vietnam | 20,185 | 3.60% |
| United States | 14,440 | 2.50% |
| Brazil | 13,770 | 2.40% |
| Nigeria | 11,190 | 2.00% |
| Iran | 10,535 | 1.90% |
| Japan | 8,335 | 1.50% |
| Top Ten Total | 438,790 | 77.20% |
| All countries Total | 568,130 | 100.00% |
| Country | # of Students | % of all Countries Total |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 23,365 | 18.90% |
| Japan | 20,129 | 16.30% |
| China, People's Republic of | 15,985 | 12.90% |
| South Korea | 14,878 | 12.00% |
| Mexico | 12,428 | 10.10% |
| *Canada | 5,115 | 4.10% |
| Saudi Arabia | 3,833 | 3.10% |
| Columbia | 3,569 | 2.90% |
| Taiwan | 3,250 | 2.60% |
| Vietnam | 3,159 | 2.60% |
| Top Ten Total | 105,711 | 85.60% |
| All countries Total | 123,566 | 100.00% |
| Country | # of Students | % of all Countries Total |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 27,651 | 20.30% |
| Japan | 21,004 | 15.40% |
| China, People's Republic of | 17,809 | 13.10% |
| Mexico | 14,066 | 10.30% |
| South Korea | 14,010 | 10.30% |
| *Canada | 5,741 | 4.20% |
| Vietnam | 5,127 | 3.80% |
| Columbia | 4,461 | 3.30% |
| Saudi Arabia | 3,633 | 2.70% |
| Taiwan | 3,207 | 2.40% |
| Top Ten Total | 116,709 | 85.70% |
| All countries Total | 136,203 | 100.00% |
| 2017 Value (billions) | 2017 International Student Spending as a % of Exports | 2018 Value (billions) | 2018 International Student Spending as a % of Exports | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada’s exports in services | $122.30 | n/a | $128.10 | n/a |
| Total spending by international students | $18.40 | 15.00% | $22.30 | 17.40% |
| Canada’s exports in services top 10 countries | $82.10 | n/a | $91.20 | n/a |
| Total spending by international students from top 10 countries | $13.90 | 16.90% | $17.00 | 18.60% |
* Canadian totals not included in calculations of student spending.
For the top 10 source countries, in 2017, the value of international education services, as measured by the total spending by students from these countries, represented 22.4% of total service exports and 3.9% of Canada's merchandise exports to these countries. By 2018, the value of total spending by international students from these countries represented 24.5% of total service exports and 4.5% of Canada's merchandise exports to these countries.
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