Welcome to another Fun Fact Friday! Here’s something that might surprise you: you don’t need to be in London, New York or Sydney to get a world-class English-taught education anymore! Non-English speaking countries are increasingly offering programmes entirely in English…and the numbers just keep rising!

The stats don’t lie

According to recent data, there’s been a dramatic increase in countries offering English-taught courses over the past decade—even more so in the last 4 years. In 2021, the ‘Big Four’ English-speaking destinations (the UK, the US, Canada and Australia) offered 82% of global English-taught, on-campus programmes. However, this figure dropped to 78% in 2024. 

Real examples from the S&A community

So which countries are offering English-taught courses? It’s mostly those in the EHEA—around 50%—followed by East Asia with 12%. Germany and the Netherlands are currently the top runners, with Turkey, Italy and Portugal recording the highest growth since 2021. Some examples from our Schools & Agents community include SBM in Turkey, with an impressive 92% international student success rate, and Webster Geneva Campus, which has been offering American university programmes in the heart of Switzerland since 1978. And let’s not forget ClickAcademy Asia, which has trained over 20,000 professionals from 30+ countries, specialising in digital marketing and professional skills all delivered in English across the Asia-Pacific region.

This trend represents huge opportunities for international education providers. Students can now access global-standard education without the traditional barriers of language or location, while institutions can tap into increasingly diverse international markets. The world is becoming more connected and English-taught programmes are building those bridges, one classroom at a time.

Written by Stephanie Clark