The table and pie chart show the number of research students at Australian universities in 2001 and 2010, distinguishing between domestic and international students.
Overall, the total number of research students increased significantly from 38,849 in 2001 to 54,081 in 2010. It is noteworthy that the number of international students increased rapidly from 5,192 to 14,593, while the number of domestic students increased less. As a result, the proportion of international students increased from 13% in 2001 to 27% in 2010.
In terms of numbers, domestic students remain the majority, but their proportion has fallen from 87% to 73%. While numbers have increased from 33,657 to 39,488, the rate of growth has been slower than that of international students. This highlights the growing appeal of Australian universities to international research students.
Regarding gender distribution, men remain the majority in both groups. Among domestic students, the proportion of men has fallen from 44% to 38%, while women have fallen from 43% to 35%. In contrast, among international students, the proportion of women has increased significantly from 4% to 15%, while men have increased slightly from 9% to 12%. This reflects the increasing number of international women students entering research programs in Australia.