Increase in business for Japanese agencies in 2024

The JAOS Annual Survey on Study Abroad Numbers in 2024 shows that 39 JAOS members sent 70,253 students overseas, an increase of 4,246 students compared with the previous year and around 90 per cent of the volume of 77,953 students sent by 41 member agencies in 2019.

Destinations: Australia overtook the USA to become the most popular destination in 2024 with 16,904 students – a 33.9 per cent increase compared with the previous year – while the USA declined by 12.9 per cent to 12,619 students.

The top five was completed by: Canada with 9,267 students, a slight decrease compared with 2023; the UK with 8,232 students (+19 per cent); and New Zealand on 6,064 students (+22.4 per cent).

Students sent by JAOS agencies over the last six years. Source – JAOS.

JAOS noted that most Asian destinations, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea, have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, while the traditional destinations in North America, Oceania and Europe have not recovered to former volumes.

In 2024, there was significant growth for Singapore, which increased by 42.8 per cent to 1,901 students, and Taiwan, which rose by 28.9 per cent to 1,515 students sent.

In total, there were 14,391 students sent to other Asian destinations in 2024, compared with 12,460 in 2019.

Program type: For the first time, JAOS stipulated study tours organized by schools and local governments which were supported by agencies as a standalone category of students, and this accounted for 15,345 students – 22 per cent of the total number of study abroad participants, the association said.

Tatsu Hoshino , Executive Secretary of JAOS, identified this segment as a growth area for Japanese agencies. “This indicates the growing trend among schools and municipalities to promote global education. With increasing subsidies from national and local governments and MEXT’s efforts to globalize domestic educational institutions, it is expected that more schools and municipalities will implement such trips,” he said.

Australia was the most popular destination for these organized high school study group tours with 5,524 students, followed by the USA (3,096) and New Zealand (2,360).

Language students on courses up to three months accounted for 57 per cent of students sent overseas in 2024, followed by the aforementioned group study tour students (22), language students on courses longer than three months (10 per cent) and K-12 school programs (four), with smaller shares for working holidays, internships and degrees.

For short-term language programs (less than three months) Australia was the top destination with 8,081 students, followed by the USA (7,198), the UK (5,730), Canada (5,116) and the Philippines (3,366).

Among study regions, only Asia has exceeded pre-Covid levels for JAOS agencies.

Australia was also the most common destination for longer language programs (more than three months) with 1,724 students, followed by Canada (1,513), the UK (904) and the USA (844).

In the K-12 segment, New Zealand was comfortably the top destination with 1,488 students, followed by Canada (553), the USA (504) and Australia (431).

Tatsu Hoshino, Executive Secretary of JAOS.

The USA remained the most popular destination for undergraduate (297), postgraduate degree (102) and undergraduate non-degree (150) programs.

Undergraduate study increased over the previous year, and although the USA’s remained the dominant destination its market share slipped, with Australia and Asian destinations such as Malaysia and Taiwan gaining.

Tatsu said, “Contributing factors include the yen’s depreciation and rising study abroad costs, making Asia a more economical choice. Both Malaysia and Taiwan have robust infrastructure for international students, and education agencies have actively promoted these destinations through seminars and fairs.”

Established in 1991, membership of JAOS exceeds 60 organizations, including bodies such as the British Council and Austrade. JAOS is also a member of the Federation of Education and Language Consultant Associations ( Felca ).