A total of 380,000 international students from 191 countries and regions were studying in China during the 2024–2025 academic year, according to a senior education official.

The statistics were released by Xi Ru, a senior official at the Ministry of Education's Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, at the 2026 China Study Abroad Forum in Beijing on Friday, marking the country's growing appeal as a leading global destination for higher education.

The statistics showed that Chinese government scholarship recipients accounted for about 8 percent of the total enrollment. In terms of regional distribution, Asian students made up the largest share at 61.1 percent, followed by Africa at 16.2 percent, Europe at 15.6 percent, and the Americas and Oceania together at 7.1 percent.

Among the total international student body, degree-seeking students reached 205,000, with postgraduates representing 35 percent. Engineering emerged as the most popular field of study among all degree programs, ranking first with 27.8 percent of degree-seeking students.

According to Xi, the data indicated that China's international education sector is still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic but has already demonstrated notable improvements. The national diversity of the student body has expanded, the academic structure has become more balanced with a higher share of postgraduate students, and the choice of academic disciplines has become more responsive to market needs, she said.

The CSAF has been held annually since 2004 as a key platform for facilitating high-level dialogue and practical cooperation between China and other countries in the field of international education.