Nepal remains one of the largest sources of international students in Australia even as the overall international education market contracts.
Australian Department of Education data shows 680,582 international students studied in Australia in the year to May 2026, down 6.9 per cent compared with the same period in 2025.
Nepal accounted for 9 per cent of international students, behind China at 23 per cent and India at 16 per cent. Vietnam and Bangladesh followed at 5 per cent and 4 per cent respectively.
The data also shows different trends by education sector. Higher Education enrolments were up 2 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier, while ELICOS enrolments fell sharply, down 27 per cent.
For Nepali students and families, the figures help explain why policy changes involving student visas and education providers receive so much attention in Nepal. Even after recent declines in overall international student numbers, Nepal remains a major part of Australia’s education market.
The statistics count students and enrolments in different ways, and one student can have more than one enrolment during the year. They should therefore be read using the Department of Education’s definitions.