The bar chart illustrates the number of applicants from four regions (European Nations, the Middle East, the Far East, and Africa) to a UK university between 1999 and 2003.
Overall, applications from the Far East increased steadily and eventually surpassed all other regions in 2003, while figures for European Nations showed a consistent decline. By contrast, Africa had the lowest number of applicants throughout the period, with only a slight rise at the end.
In 1999, European Nations recorded the highest number of applicants, at around 30,000, but this figure dropped year by year and reached just over 20,000 by 2003. In contrast, the Far East started at approximately 16,000 applicants and experienced continuous growth, more than doubling to about 32,000 by the final year.
As for the other regions, the Middle East accounted for around 12,000 applications in 1999. After a gradual rise and a slight dip in 2002, the figure climbed significantly to around 21,000 in 2003. Africa, meanwhile, remained the smallest contributor, with numbers fluctuating slightly between 5,000 and 7,000 across the five years.