The bar chart illustrates the of people who applied for UK university from four specific countries from 1999 to 2003.
Overall, the number of applicants from European nations declined significantly over the period. The remaining countries, in contrast, experienced increases, albeit to varying degrees, with the figure for the Far East showing the most pronounced rise. Notably, the Far East surpassed European nations towards the end of the period, becoming the largest source of applicants, while Africa registered the lowest figure.
In 1999, European nations held the leading position in terms of university applications, at around 30,000, before experiencing a considerable drop to 11,000 in the final year. The figure for Africa, on the other hand, showed the smallest increase, remaining the same at around 3,000 until 2001 before rising to 5,000 in 2002 and 6,000 in the final year.
Looking at the remaining countries, the steepest rise was recorded in the Far East, with the figure increasing from 15,000 to 30,000, marking two-fold over the period. Similarly, the Middle East witnessed an overall increase, standing at about 10,000 in 1999. The figure initially rose to 15,000 in 2001 and then rebounded to 20,000 in the final year.