The table and pie charts given compare Australian universities based on the number of research students from 2001 to 2010.
Looking at the illustration, it is immediately obvious that the total number of students increased considerably. Additionally, while the percentage of local students decreased, the percentage of international students rose significantly.
In 2001, the number of local research students was 33,657, which was significantly higher than that of international research students, at only 5,192. By 2010, the total number of research students had increased to 54,081, with local students rising to 39,488 and international students growing sharply to 14,593. The most significant growth was observed in international research students, whose numbers nearly tripled from 5,192 to 14,593 over the period. In contrast, local research students saw a much smaller increase of 5,831 students.
In 2001, local male students accounted for the largest proportion, making up 44%, followed closely by local female students at 43%. Meanwhile, non-local male students represented 9%, and non-local female students had the smallest share, at only 4%. By 2010, while local students still constituted the majority, their percentage had decreased. Local males dropped to 38%, and local females declined to 35%. At the same time, the proportion of international students increased significantly, from 13% in 2001 to 27% in 2010. Among them, non-local female students saw the largest rise, reaching 15%, while non-local male students accounted for 12%.