The bar chart illustrates the number of students from four countries—China, Japan, the USA, and Russia—applying to a European university between 2004 and 2008.
Overall, Chinese students represented the largest group of international applicants in 2004, but their numbers declined significantly over the four-year period. In contrast, American applicants experienced considerable fluctuations, culminating in a sharp increase by 2008. Russian applicants consistently had the lowest numbers throughout the period.
In detail, the number of Chinese students was over 25,000 in 2004, the highest among the four countries. However, their numbers dropped dramatically, from just over 20,000 in 2005 to exactly 15,000 in 2008.
American students started at exactly 20,000 in 2004, fell to 15,000 in 2005, and then rose to well above 15,000 in 2006. Their numbers dropped significantly to 10,000 in 2007, followed by a sharp increase to well above 25,000 in 2008.
Japanese students saw a moderate increase, doubling their numbers over the four years. They started with around 10,000 applicants in 2004 and reached approximately 20,000 by 2008. Meanwhile, Russian applicants experienced slight fluctuations, growing gradually from 2004 to 2007 before dropping sharply to well below 5,000 in 2008.