Australia’s $51 billion international student lie

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) claims that international education is Australia’s fourth largest export, earning the country $51 billion in 2023–24.

The ABS calculates this fantastical education “export” figure by summing expenditure by student visa holders on tuition fees and goods and services.

In 2024-25, the ABS estimated that $30.2 billion was spent by student visa holders on goods and services, whereas $20.6 billion was spent on tuition fees.