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Marrakech – A recent Campus France report places Morocco among the top countries in international student mobility, both as a country of origin and destination for foreign students.
The North African country now serves as a regional hub for hosting international students in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
According to data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), cited in the latest Campus France report on “Global Student Mobility,” Morocco hosted 22,000 foreign students in 2022, positioning it as one of the main host countries in the region, after Saudi Arabia (64,000 students), Jordan (39,000), Egypt (24,000), and Iran (23,000).
These numbers exclude approximately 220,000 students in the United Arab Emirates, the 9th global destination, due to the absence of data provided to UIS.
The Campus France report also examines student mobility to France. The data shows that “the main countries of origin for foreign students in France in 2023-2024 remain unchanged: Morocco, Algeria, China, Italy, and Senegal.”
For the academic year in question, Morocco leads the ranking of countries of origin for foreign nationality students in France with 43,354 nationals, accounting for 10% of the total. Algeria follows with 34,269 (8%), China with 27,123 (6%), Italy with 21,037 (5%), and Senegal completing the top 5 with 16,955 (4%).
The report notes that the number of Moroccan students in France decreased in 2023-2024 for the second consecutive year (-4%), yet Morocco maintains its position as the leading country of origin for foreign students in France.
In contrast, Algeria experienced a substantial drop in study visas issued in 2024 (-23% compared to 2023), suggesting a decline in Algerian student enrollments in French higher education for 2024-2025.
The report offers additional details about Moroccan students in various fields. In business schools, where 15% of foreign students in France enrolled in 2023-2024, Morocco ranks as the 2nd most represented country with 8,403 students (13% of the total), just behind China (9,130, 15%).
In engineering schools, the statistics appear even more impressive: “1 in 5 foreign students is Moroccan.” This strong presence – 6,035 students, or 19% of the 32,000 enrolled – firmly places Morocco at the top, far ahead of China (2,630 students, 8%) and Cameroon (2,059 students, 6%).
Among foreign doctoral students, Moroccans also appear in the Top 5. Numbering 1,229 in 2023-2024, Moroccan doctoral students rank 4th, behind China (1,806), Italy (1,622), and Lebanon (1,534), and ahead of Algeria (1,090).
The report also indicates Morocco’s growing importance in worldwide student mobility. With 74,289 students studying abroad in 2022, the country ranks 18th globally, moving up from 21st position in 2017. At the continental level, it stands 2nd behind Nigeria (8th, 112,416) and ahead of Egypt (19th, 69,371).
