The diagram illustrates how many Australian students studied abroad in five different countries between 2004 and 2006. Overall, the numbers of Australian students in the USA, UK, Germany, and New Zealand followed a rising trend, albeit at varying rates, while the figure for Japan declined. It is also clear that the USA consistently recorded the highest number of students, while the reverse was true for Germany and Japan.
In 2004, the USA had just over 2,500 students from Australia, a figure that then experienced dramatic growth, reaching a chart high of almost 3,000 students. The figure for New Zealand also increased to match the USA’s initial figure in 2005 and then grew further to around 2,700 people by the end of the period. The number of Australian students studying in the UK started at exactly 1,500 in the initial year; it then rose slightly to around 1,600 and remained unchanged until the end.
The remaining countries – Germany and Japan – exhibited much lower figures and showed similar patterns. Starting at about 200 people in 2004, the number of Australian students in Germany saw a small dip to close to 175 in the next year, before increasing slightly to just over 200 students. In contrast, Japan’s figure declined to the same point as Germany’s 2005 figure in that year, from just above 200 students, and then converged with Germany’s 2006 number. There was a small growth to about 175 students in the final year, marginally lower than its initial figure.