The line graph illustrates the number of international students from Asia, Africa, Europe and North America who studied at a UK university between 1995 and 2015.
Overall, the number of Asian students increased dramatically throughout the period, remaining the largest group in every year. In contrast, figures for Africa and Europe fluctuated slightly with no clear long-term growth, while North America experienced a moderate rise, particularly after 2010.
In 1995, around 60 students from Asia were enrolled, compared with approximately 50 from Europe and 40 from North America. African students accounted for the smallest group, at about 20. Over the next decade, the number of Asian students rose steadily to roughly 90 in 2005. Meanwhile, European enrolments varied modestly, peaking at about 55 in 2000 before returning to around 50 in 2005. The number of African students remained relatively stable at close to 20 during this period, and North American numbers fell slightly to about 35 in 2005.
From 2005 onwards, Asian enrolments continued to grow significantly, reaching approximately 120 by 2015. North American student numbers also increased sharply after 2010, climbing from around 40 to nearly 70 in 2015. By contrast, African numbers peaked at about 30 in 2010 before declining back to roughly 20 at the end of the period. European figures fluctuated around the 50-55 mark and finished at about 50 in 2015.