Pakistani students studying abroad statistics 2026, by country

UNESCO estimates that 114,849 Pakistani tertiary students were studying abroad in 2023, its latest year, almost double the 58,251 of 2019. By destination, the newest official figures are 19,640 UK study visas (year to June 2026), 13,165 students in the USA (2024/25), 12,646 students in Germany (winter 2024/25), 6,051 Australian student visas (2025/26) and 3,250 Canadian study permits (2025).

Where do Pakistani students study abroad? Summary table

All figures below were checked on 14 October 2026 against each government's own statistics.

These numbers measure different things: visas granted in a year, students counted on a date, permits that started in a year. Do not add them up, and do not rank countries from this table alone.

How many Pakistani students study abroad in total?

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) publishes the global count of students who cross a border for university level study.

What it means: this is the best global total available, built from what host countries report. What it does not mean: it covers tertiary students only, several years are UIS estimates, and the latest year is 2023, so it does not show changes since then.

How many Pakistani students go to the UK?

The Home Office counts study visas granted to people applying from outside the UK.

Key points from the release of 27 August 2026:

• Pakistan was the fourth largest nationality for sponsored study visas in the year to June 2026, after China (86,368), India (82,523) and Nigeria (26,060). A year earlier it was third.
• The Home Office lists Pakistan among the notable falls of the year, down 47 percent.
• Refusals of Pakistani main applicants rose from 1,930 to 4,581 over the same period. In October to December 2025 alone, 2,633 were granted and 1,851 refused.
• The Home Office notes that dependant grants dropped immediately after the January 2024 policy changes restricting most international students from bringing dependants.
• Pakistani nationals received 22,383 Graduate route extensions in the year to June 2026, the second highest after India.

What it means: these are entry clearance visas granted, not students enrolled at UK universities. A person granted two visas in a year counts twice. The Home Office marks data from January 2026 onwards as provisional. Our guide to UK student visa refusal reasons for Pakistanis covers what officers look for.

How many Pakistani students are in the USA?

IIE's Open Doors 2025 counted 13,165 Pakistani students in the US in 2024/25, up 19.8 percent, which made Pakistan the 13th largest place of origin. The DHS SEVIS Data Mapping Tool listed 16,790 Pakistani F and M students with active records in September 2026.

The State Department issued 4,483 F1 visas to Pakistani nationals in fiscal year 2024 and 4,191 in fiscal year 2025, by our count of its monthly reports. From October 2025 to February 2026 it issued 524, against 1,740 in the same months a year earlier. Our page of Pakistani students in USA statistics has the full tables and what each one means.

How many Pakistani students are in Canada?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes two useful counts by country of citizenship.

What it means: the first column counts Pakistani citizens whose study permit became effective in that year. A student who receives a new permit, such as an extension, can be counted again, so this is not a count of new arrivals. The second column is everyone holding a valid permit at year end, and 2024 is the latest year in that table. IRCC rounds all figures to the nearest 5 and calls them preliminary.

This is general information only. Personalised Canadian immigration advice is given through Via Nova's licensed RCIC partner, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant. See study in Canada for how that works.

How many Pakistani students go to Australia?

The Department of Home Affairs publishes student visa grants by citizenship. Australia's financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June.

Home Affairs defines the grant rate as visas granted divided by visas granted plus refused. We applied that definition to its published grant and refusal totals for Pakistani main applicants. By our ranking of the same data, Pakistan was the 11th largest citizenship for main applicant grants in 2025/26. From 1 July to 31 August 2026, 721 Pakistani main applicants were granted.

What it means: these are visas granted, not enrolments. In 2025/26, 4,064 of the 6,051 grants went to people already in Australia, often current students extending their stay. We could not access the Department of Education's enrolment data on 14 October 2026, so it is not quoted here.

How many Pakistani students are in Germany?

Germany counts students, not visas. The DZHW and DAAD report Wissenschaft weltoffen uses the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) student statistics.

In winter 2024/25, Pakistanis made up 3.1 percent of Germany's 402,083 international students. Between winter 2018/19 and winter 2023/24, the number of Pakistani students rose 72 percent.

What it means: "international students" here are foreign nationals who gained their university entrance qualification outside Germany. The figure counts everyone enrolled, at every stage of a degree, not new arrivals. Our guide to studying in Germany for free from Pakistan explains the route.

What about Ireland?

We could not find an official count of Pakistani students in Ireland in the Higher Education Authority or Department of Justice data available on 14 October 2026, so Ireland is not in the tables.

What does the trend mean for 2027 applicants?

The official numbers describe what has already happened. They do not predict any single application.

• UK: grants to Pakistani main applicants fell 47 percent in the year to June 2026, to 19,640, while refusals more than doubled.
• USA: Open Doors grew 19.8 percent in 2024/25. F1 visas issued to Pakistanis from October 2025 to February 2026 were less than a third of the same months a year earlier.
• Australia: grants rose to 6,051 in 2025/26 after two years of decline, and the grant rate for Pakistani main applicants rose from 41.1 percent in 2023/24 to 61.5 percent.
• Canada: permits taking effect fell for the second year running, from 4,730 in 2023 to 3,250 in 2025.
• Germany: Pakistani students rose from 9,873 to 12,646 in one year.

If you are comparing countries for a 2027 intake, our guide to the best country for a study visa from Pakistan sets out the rules side by side. Through our student visa service, Via Nova counsellors help you check your own file against current requirements. The decision always rests with the visa authority.