The bar chart depicts the number of international students who applied to prestigious universities in European countries from 2004 to 2008.
Overall, it can be seen that the number of students who applied from China significantly increased. However, in Russia, the number of applications remained the lowest throughout the entire period.
In the first year, at least 27000 students applied to universities from China. This was the highest number among the other countries. Moreover, the number dramatically dropped by approximately 16000 in 2006 and then decreased by around 1500 by 2008. Furthermore, in 2004, the number of students who applied from Russia was the lowest, remaining stable at roughly 2000 and slightly declining by approximately 1500 after that. It also fluctuated for applied applications in 2008.
Meanwhile, the number of applicants from Japan was slightly lower, at roughly 1300. By contrast, this number did not decrease and soared to approximately 2600 by 2008. However, in 2004, the number of applicants to universities in the USA was the lowest, at roughly 6000, over the period. This number was significantly stable in 2005. Interestingly, it dramatically soared to approximately 1500 by 2008.