The start of a new normal: BONARD ELT report tracks the sector’s performance in 2023
BONARD Education has published the second edition of the Global ELT Annual Report, featuring extensive data on eight destinations, a ranking of source countries, and insights from key sector associations.
September 2024 - The global ELT sector saw an uneven performance in 2023. While Australia, Ireland, and Malta stood out as top performers, having regained or surpassed their pre-pandemic market volumes, other destinations did not fare as well.
Ongoing uncertainty, amid changing regulations, signals challenging times ahead for all traditional study destinations.
The second edition of the Global ELT Annual Report, produced by international education specialists at BONARD Education, provides a clear picture of the sector’s performance and its outlook, based on extensive data, market intelligence, and insights from sector associations.
The findings were presented during a dedicated webinar on 3 September.
A diverse performance across major ELT destinations
In the eight destinations covered in the report (Australia, USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Malta, New Zealand, and South Africa), the ELT sector recovered 78% of its 2019 student numbers and 85% of student weeks. However, global statistics hide stark differences among individual destinations:
Australia, Ireland and Malta performed well, reaching or surpassing their pre-pandemic market volumes.
South Africa also had a positive 2023, nearly recovering its pre-pandemic market volume.
New Zealand was still behind the curve as it reopened its borders later than other destinations, but the data shows that its ELT sector is on a promising trajectory.
The UK and the US experienced a slow recovery in 2023, largely due to Brexit and a delayed rebound in outbound mobility from China (UK), and visa denials and a strong currency (US).
In Canada, recovery slowed in 2023 after a positive 2022, with visa delays and new policies negatively impacting inbound student mobility.
Dr Ivana Bartosik, International Education Director at BONARD, commented:
“Australia, Ireland, and Malta are relatively more affordable than other destinations and offer work rights for English language students.
"It can be argued that the combination of these factors, together with a more seamless access to student visas, played a key role in these destinations’ road to full recovery in 2023.”
Patrik Pavlacic, Chief Intelligence Officer at BONARD, added:
“Investigating the reasons causing uneven recovery, we observed broad forces at play that are reshaping student flows.
“Among them, there are political and regulatory changes in the major destinations, visa processing delays and refusals, the rising popularity of local education hubs and intraregional mobility, the ongoing effect of Brexit, and shifts in students’ preferences and requirements.”
A slow recovery for the top source countries
New countries are emerging as top source markets. Mongolia, Ecuador and Argentina entered the top 20 list for the first time in 2023, while Russia, India and Kuwait dropped out.
Outbound mobility from several key source markets, including China, is still recovering slowly post-pandemic.
Colombia was the only top source market to surpass its 2019 sending volume. Brazil, the second-largest market globally, achieved an 84% recovery rate, while Japan reached 75%.
Growth was observed mostly in mid-sized markets such as Vietnam, Mexico, Türkiye, and Thailand.
Latin America was the region with the strongest and fastest-growing demand for English language learning in 2023.
“The new markets driving growth have a different student profile: they are more flexible in their destination choices and more price sensitive,” Dr Bartosik said during the webinar.
A look to the future
The ELT sector in traditional study destinations is unlikely to surpass 2023 levels this year, and we may even see a slight decline in student numbers or student weeks in 2024.
Pavlacic explained: “2023 has set a new benchmark when it comes to reflecting the actual demand levels for ELT in traditional destinations.
“We are unlikely to see any substantial new growth for traditional ELT destinations, but we will see student flows diverting from certain destinations, such as Canada and Australia, to other countries.”
The report outlines six key areas where adaptations can be implemented to enable language centres to successfully navigate the challenging times ahead. These include product development, student services, communication, advocacy, and accommodation provision.
Access the report and webinar recording
To obtain copy of the report, click on the button below or contact education@bonard.com.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
BONARD Education is an independent market research and strategic development firm specialising in international education. Our team of specialists has been tracking student mobility data for the past 15 years. We advise and empower sector associations, governments and individual institutions with timely data and market intelligence. Find more information at www.bonardeducation.com or contact Terezia Sufliarska, BONARD’s Marketing Manager, atterezia.sufliarska@bonard.com.
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