The unexpected country that has delivered an influx of international students to WA
Western Australia’s population of international students has bounced back, after a large-scale decline during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But while the number of students coming from China has so far failed to meet rebound expectations, another more unexpected country has taken its place.
Bhutan, situated at the edge of the Himalayas, has a population of less than one million compared to India’s more than one billion, but is giving the bigger country a run for its money when it comes to international student numbers in WA.
A decade ago, Bhutan was not even in the top 20 countries of where international students studying in WA were from, but from 2015 the number began climbing, with 7238 students enrolled across the state on a student visa as of 2024.
WA is also the only place in Australia to have attracted such a large portion of international students from Bhutan.
The Bhutan population is also one of the fastest growing in the state overall, with fewer than 30 Bhutanese people calling Perth home 20 years ago.
According to the latest Census (2021), nearly 5000 people from the South Asian country resided in Perth.
A Curtin University spokeswoman said it had seen a significant shift in demographics, particularly with
an increase in students from Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan.
“While our traditional international student base has remained relatively stable, especially from China, India and Malaysia, in recent years, Curtin has seen a significant shift in demographics,” she said.
“This trend is largely due the economic development in these regions, leading to a growing middle class with the financial means to pursue higher education abroad.”
Murdoch University International Pro Vice Chancellor Kelly Smith said there had been an increase in students coming from South Asia in general.
The number of international students is escalating in WA.Credit: Fairfax Photographic
“Whilst China remains the largest source country nationally, India has been growing quickly and is the largest source for WA,” he said.
“Murdoch has had a very long-term engagement with Bhutan stretching back to the mid-2000s. This engagement has been led by our strength in sustainable and community development.
“As the numbers of Bhutanese studying in Australia has grown, so to have the numbers choosing Murdoch.”
Midway through 2021, Murdoch University launched a new scholarship targeted specifically at students from Bhutan, covering 50 per cent of the fee for the entire undergraduate degree.
One recipient has headed to Perth each semester, and will do so until the end of 2024.
A UWA spokeswoman said its growth was still being mainly driven by China, alongside India and a range of other South Asian and South East Asian countries.
ECU would not comment on what countries made up its international student cohort, but confirmed it had a “healthy diversity” of students from across the world.
Overall, there has been a 61 per cent increase in international student numbers compared to the same period in 2023.
As of January, 45,803 international students were enrolled. Most international student enrolments were in higher education, 47 per cent, and vocational education and training, 32 per cent.
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