Post-COVID Recovery in Number of Japanese High Schoolers Studying Abroad

Society World Education May 2, 2025

A total of 35,000 Japanese high school students studied overseas in the 2023 academic year, whether on short or long-term programs.

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In the 2023 academic year, 35,000 Japanese high school students studied overseas. This represented a major recovery after the drop during the COVID-19 pandemic the last time the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) conducted the survey.

The MEXT figures include both students who participated in short-term programs of less than three months, related to language learning or cultural exchange, as well as those who studied for three months or more at a foreign high school. The highest number of high school students on record for any academic year was in 2017, prior to the global pandemic, when around 47,000 students went abroad.

The number of high school students taking part in overseas programs of less than three months totaled 31,711, an increase of 29,688 compared with the previous survey during the pandemic. Students traveled to 47 countries and regions, with the most popular being Australia (7,774 students), the United States (4,626), Taiwan (3,214), Britain (2,826), and Canada (2,604).

The number of high school students who studied abroad at an overseas high school or similar institution for three months or more increased by 1,273 over the previous survey, to 3,174 in total. These students went to 44 different countries and regions. Canada was the most popular destination (998 students), followed by the United States (653), New Zealand (551), Australia (349), and Britain (85).

The number of students who graduated from high school in the 2023 academic year and went on to pursue higher education overseas increased by 211 from the previous survey to 1,635. The students were enrolled at institutions located in 32 different countries and regions. The most popular destination was the United States (520 students), followed by South Korea (194), Taiwan (167), Australia (159), and Malaysia (139). Among these students, 1,372 were enrolled in universities, while 154 attended language schools or some other type of institution.

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