The bar chart compares the numbers of applicants from China, Japan, the USA and Russia who applied to universities in a European country between 2004 and 2008.
Overall, applications from China fell steadily over the period, whereas the USA saw a sharp rise and became the largest source by 2008. Japan also increased gradually, while Russia remained the smallest contributor with relatively minor changes.
In 2004, China led by a wide margin with about 28,000 applicants, but this figure dropped consistently to just over 15,000 by 2008. By contrast, the USA showed the opposite pattern, rising from roughly 13,000 in 2004 to approximately 28,000 in 2008, overtaking China after 2006.
Japan’s totals were much lower but increased steadily overall, starting at around 6,000 in 2004-2005 and reaching about 10,000 by 2008. Russia recorded the fewest applicants throughout, staying at roughly 2,000 between 2005 and 2007 before edging up to around 3,000 in 2008.
