With over 642,000 international students, Canada is the third most popular country for international education.

Last year, the number of international students in Canada grew by 19 per cent as per the IRCC. That same year, some 404,000 international students received their study permits. In fact, Canada’s international student numbers tripled since 2010 and grew six times since 2000. Overall, there are over 5,000,000 international students worldwide, according to UNESCO.

Once in Canada, the single largest group of international students are in Ontario. The province hosts 48 per cent of Canada’s international students (307,000).

BC is second, with 23 per cent and 145,000 students.

Quebec is third, with 14 per cent and 87,000 students.

Manitoba and Nova Scotia each host 19,000 students.

Meanwhile, Prince Edward Island boasts the strongest growth of any province or territory. Since 2010, this Atlantic province has increased international enrolment by a factor of five.

In comparison, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba doubled their international student numbers over the same period.

When it comes to the breakdown by origin, 34 per cent of Canada’s international students are from India. The number of Indian international students in Canada has almost quadrupled since 2015.

The second largest group hails from China, with 22 per cent of international students being Chinese. Growth among this group remain slow over the past five years and Indian students have overtaken their Chinese peers.

Other source countries include South Korea, France, Vietnam, the U.S., Iran, Brazil and Nigeria.

For reference, the U.S. hosts 1.1 million international students; Australia is second with just under 700,000; China and the UK each host about 500,000.

Source: IRCC