Spain continues to strengthen its position as one of the leading destinations for international education. This is reflected in the 2026 edition of the study on the economic impact of international students in Spain, which estimates that during the 2023–2024 academic year, more than 1.04 million international students were enrolled in an educational program in the country, generating an economic impact of more than €8.316 billion, a figure equivalent to 0.55% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In this context, internationalization is one of the cornerstones of the educational mission of the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO). Through the Office of International Relations (ORI), the University promotes the mobility of students, faculty, and administrative and support staff through programs such as Erasmus+ and an extensive network of collaboration agreements with higher education institutions in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa.
The report highlights the sustained growth in international academic mobility, a trend that continues to gain momentum in the wake of the pandemic. Globally, the number of students enrolled in higher education has doubled over the past two decades, reaching 269 million in 2024, of whom 7.3 million participated in an international mobility program. Moreover, in 2023, at the European level, more than 17 million students were learning a foreign language during their school years, a sign of the growing interest in education and international academic exchange.
Another key finding of the study is the distribution of international students by program type. Although Spanish language schools account for the largest share of international students (67%), it is undergraduate and master’s degree programs that generate the greatest economic impact. These degree programs account for 21.5% of the international student body, but they account for 58.6% of the economic impact derived from educational exports, due mainly to the longer duration of their stays and the higher average spending of these students.
The study also concludes that international education supports approximately 12,000 skilled jobs and benefits numerous sectors of the economy, such as education, housing, hospitality, transportation, and leisure. It also notes that the main challenge to continuing to drive growth in the sector does not lie in demand but in the need to streamline administrative procedures for students from countries that require visas.
Beyond its economic impact, the report highlights that the presence of international students promotes the modernization of higher education institutions, drives the internationalization of host communities, strengthens scientific and academic cooperation, and contributes to the creation of collaborative networks with an international reach.
In this context, UNEATLANTICO remains committed to internationalization by welcoming students from different countries and promoting academic exchanges for its students at universities around the world. These experiences enrich campus life with new cultural and academic perspectives, foster the development of intercultural, linguistic, and professional skills—which are increasingly in demand in a globalized job market—and reinforce the University’s commitment to providing a high-quality education connected to the international community.