Nigeria is the 4th biggest country sending students to Canada, according to a recent report on how international education affects Canada’s economy.
In 2022, students from Nigeria, India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Colombia spent a lot of money in Canada. Together, they added $30.9 billion to Canada’s economy, which is 1.2% of the total economy for that year.
This report shows that these students, whether studying for a long or short time, are very important for Canada. It says international education helps Canada grow in a quickly changing world.
From 2016 to 2022, the number of international students in Canada went up a lot, from 523,971 to 844,444, a rise of 61%.
How much do international students spend?
In 2022, international students spent about $37.3 billion on tuition, housing, and other things, even when Canadian scholarships were considered.
This spending helped support 246,310 jobs in Canada and gave $7.4 billion in taxes that year.
“The year 2022 had the most long-term students in Canada. This comes after fewer students in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 travel rules,” the report said.
The report also said that international students spend more money every year. From $15.5 billion in 2016, their spending more than doubled to $37.3 billion in 2022, growing by 15.7% each year.
Top places for students to study
Canada is a popular place for students from other countries. The number of these students has been growing every year, with reports from 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015, and 2016 showing this growth.
- In 2022, there were 844,444 international students in Canada, with 769,515 being long-term students.
- Ontario had the most international students, with 432,272 students, making up more than half (51%) of all international students in Canada.
- British Columbia had 186,886 international students, which was 22% of all international students in 2022.
- Prince Edward Island had 4,491 international students in 2022. It saw the biggest increase in students, growing by over 1,800% from 2000 to 2022.
- Nunavut and the Northwest Territories were least popular, with only five and 35 international students, respectively, in 2022.
The importance of international education
The large number of international students in Canada, especially from Nigeria, India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Colombia, shows how important international education is for the economy and cultural sharing.
- These students greatly help Canada’s economy and show the global connection of education systems.
- But there are challenges, like different visa approval rates and policy changes. These need to be fixed to keep the benefits growing.