The table illustrates variations in the number of international students from different countries in Canada and the USA between 2002 and 2003, as well as their percentage change. Overall, the total number of overseas students in both countries followed an upward trend, with Canada receiving most of its students from China. At the same time, the USA welcomed the largest portion of students from India. Although the scale of the rise in Canada was more significant, the USA outnumbered Canada in terms of student numbers in both years.
Regarding intemational students in Canada, over the two years, the figure for total number sharply increased by 17%, from 59,870 to 70,004. Most of this change resulted from the surge of Chinese students, whose numbers rose by a whopping 45%, increasing from 5,400 to 7,850. Indian students, ranking second, also opted to study in Canada, with a leap of 35% (from 2,100 to 2,835) during the same period. By comparison, the number of American students was twice that of India, while the number of students from this country witnessed only 9% growth.
Turning to the USA, the picture was very different. The country saw a modest increase of 2% in overseas students from three nations, standing below 600,000 in the years 2002 and 2003. Indian students made up the largest proportion of international students in the USA, totaling 200,000-the highest figure in the data. Despite experiencing a noticeable drop of 9% to 182,000, this country retained its position. In stark contrast, China and Canada had modest rises of 6% and 7% respectively, with the figures for the former climbing from 110,000 to 116,000 and the latter from 31,000 to 33,170.