Asia: Growth in demand and English-taught programs

The new Asia, Latin America, and MENA in Global Education report is based on higher education course listings and user pageviews on Studyportals.

Asia’s rise: Asia now dominates English-taught education with 20,485 English programs across 600 universities as of June 2025, which has risen sharply since January 2021 when only around 5,000 were listed. China, Japan, Malaysia and India lead in the volume English-taught courses, although Vietnam and Indonesia are rising fast, the authors said.

Pageviews of programs on Studyportals in Asia have increased from just over 80,000 in January 2019 to around 140,000 in January 2025.

The supply of English-taught programs in Asia, MENA and Latin America. Graphic source – Studyportals/British Council.

In the July 2024 to June 2025 period, China experienced a 32.6 per cent increase in pageviews of on-campus bachelor programs, compared with the prior 12-month period, and a 6.9 per cent increase in pageviews of master’s programs.

Japan, which had the highest absolute search volume over the last two years, had increases of 6.6 per cent at bachelor level and 4.9 per cent at master’s level in the last year, and Malaysia achieved similar levels. Other notable increases included a 15.5 per cent increase in pageviews of master’s courses in India, and a 13.9 per cent increase for master’s programs in Taiwan.

Japan reported a record number of international students in 2024, and is currently pursuing a strategy of hosting 400,000 students by 2033, while Malaysia reported a 25 per cent increase in applications in 2024. South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan are also pursuing strategies to increase international students.

However, there were decreases in pageviews for South Korea and Singapore at both bachelor and master’s level in the last year, the authors noted.

At city level, the largest increase in undergraduate pageviews was for Hanoi in Vietnam (+205 per cent), followed by Udupi in India (+113), Depok in Indonesia (+106) and Suzhou in China (+59). Among major cities, there were increases of 13.8 per cent increase for Tokyo, 40 per cent for Beijing, and 14.7 per cent for Seoul.

Looking at source markets within Asia for study in Asia, India had the largest increase in interest at 32.7 per cent in the year ending June 2025, followed by Bangladesh (+20.7), Pakistan (+19.9), Sri Lanka (+5.5) and Nepal (+4.3).

MENA: In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are funding scholarships and branch campuses of international students, and more MENA universities are entering global rankings, the authors said. At the time of the report, 6,653 ETPs were offered.

Pageviews of programs by region. Source – Studyportals/British Council.

Across the MENA region, Saudi Arabia registered a significant increase in pageviews of bachelor programs (68 per cent) as well as a 11.1 per cent increase for master’s programs. However, most destinations in the MENA region had a decrease in pageviews in the last 12 months, the data shows.

By absolute search volume, Türkiye was the leader across the region, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

“The global center of gravity in higher education is clearly shifting,” said Edwin van Rest, CEO and Co-founder at Studyportals. “Asian and MENA universities used to send students abroad. Now they’re keeping them home and attracting students from other regions. Universities need to understand this shift if they want to stay competitive.”

Pageview volume and growth for Asian destinations. Source – Studyportals/British Council.

Latin America: Meanwhile, Latin America remains underdeveloped as a study destination, sending students overseas for higher education but attracting relatively few in return. The authors said that there were currently limited English-taught programs (347).

While in Asia 52.2 per cent of campus-based English-taught programs (ETPs) are at master’s level, and 48.5 per cent in the MENA region, only 18.3 per cent in Latin America were master’s courses. Yet 58.6 per cent of pageviews between July 2023 and June 2025 were for master’s programs, suggesting an imbalance between supply and demand for the region.

Rankings: In terms of rankings, the authors highlight that there was an 8.5 per cent increase in Asian institutions in the 2026 edition QS World University Rankings, and a 23.6 per cent increase in MENA institutions listed, but the number of institutions listed from Latin America declined by 28.7 per cent.

Asia also dominates in terms of representation in the upper levels of the listings, with 21 in the top 100 compared with one each for MENA and Latin America.

The authors said, “Taken together, these findings point to a clear strategic reality. Asia remains the undisputed global hub for TNE and a powerhouse in world rankings, both in terms of institutional scale and student demand. MENA emerges as a dynamic and promising region that is certainly punching above its weight in demand for TNE and rapidly building its brand as a region with top-tier, globally ranked institutions.

“Latin America, however, shows signs of regression, with limited traction in either TNE or rankings. For institutions seeking to expand their international presence, the data suggests that Asia remains essential, while MENA represents an increasingly attractive growth frontier.”

Megan Agnew, Global Partnerships Manager at the British Council said, “The landscape of English-medium education continues to evolve, with more study options available in more locations than ever before.

“In this dynamic environment, innovation, access, and growth are driving institutional development and reshaping higher education. This report highlights where and how these significant changes are unfolding and how they are transforming the sector.”