Gender composition among internationally mobile tertiary students originating in North America and Western Europe varied widely by destination in 2023. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) indicator `E.5T8.FOREIGN.ORG40500.GPIA` combines North America and Western Europe as an origin region and reports an adjusted gender parity index for each destination country or territory. The value is not a student count or female percentage. It is a 0–2 adjusted parity index centered on 1.
The verified dataset contains 80 official destination observations for 2023. Twenty-seven are below 0.97, three fall within 0.97–1.03, and fifty are above 1.03. The mean is 1.033 and the median 1.088. Belize and Saint Lucia are at the upper endpoint of 2.00000, while Mongolia is lowest at 0.28571. Bosnia and Herzegovina at 0.34307, the Republic of Moldova at 0.42018, and Azerbaijan at 0.42105 are also near the lower end.
Table of Contents
North America and Western Europe form the origin group
This indicator differs from a series that fixes a single origin country. `ORG40500` aggregates students originating in North America and Western Europe. Each country row is a destination. A France observation therefore describes gender parity among students from that origin group who study in France, not French students studying abroad.
The series is also narrower than the full international-student population of a destination. Students from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and other origin regions are outside this origin group. The statistical question is destination-specific gender balance within one combined origin region.
Fifty of the 80 destinations are above 1.03
Fifty destination observations, or 62.5% of the set, lie above the parity band. Twenty-seven are below 0.97 and only three are inside 0.97–1.03. By destination count, the direction with the higher female relative value is the most common.
That 62.5% is not a student-weighted percentage. A small destination and a very large destination each count once. The dataset therefore cannot be used to say that 62.5% of all mobile tertiary students from the origin region are female.
El Salvador, Bulgaria, and Canada fall inside the parity band
El Salvador records 0.98165, Bulgaria 1.00554, and Canada 1.02673. These are the only three destination observations inside the practical 0.97–1.03 parity range.
Parity here means relative balance rather than perfectly identical headcounts. Values just outside the band can still be close to 1, so it is useful to consider the actual distance from 1 rather than treating the band as a pass-or-fail boundary.
Belize and Saint Lucia are at the upper endpoint
Belize and Saint Lucia each record 2.00000. Other high destination observations include Iceland at 1.46429, Belgium at 1.41503, Monaco at 1.36346, Sri Lanka at 1.34783, New Zealand at 1.34576, Ghana at 1.34524, Latvia at 1.33778, and Qatar at 1.33250.
The data contain 2 official values of 2.00000 and 0 official zeros. An adjusted GPIA of 2 is a valid upper endpoint, not 200%, and it does not necessarily mean exactly twice as many female students as male students. Ratios above 1 are transformed on the adjusted parity scale.
| Selected high destination observations | 2023 GPIA |
|---|---|
| Belize | 2.00000 |
| Saint Lucia | 2.00000 |
| Iceland | 1.46429 |
| Belgium | 1.41503 |
| Monaco | 1.36346 |
| Sri Lanka | 1.34783 |
| New Zealand | 1.34576 |
| Ghana | 1.34524 |
| Latvia | 1.33778 |
| Qatar | 1.33250 |
Mongolia is the lowest observed destination
Mongolia records 0.28571, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina at 0.34307, the Republic of Moldova at 0.42018, Azerbaijan at 0.42105, Thailand at 0.44800, and Belarus at 0.47331. Botswana is at 0.50000, Tunisia 0.55556, Bermuda 0.60000, and Ukraine 0.61833.
Values below 1 indicate a lower female relative value. A GPIA of 0.30 does not mean that 30% of the students are female. The index summarizes the relationship between female and male values; actual shares or headcount differences require sex-specific student data.
| Low destination observations | 2023 GPIA |
|---|---|
| Mongolia | 0.28571 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.34307 |
| Republic of Moldova | 0.42018 |
| Azerbaijan | 0.42105 |
| Thailand | 0.44800 |
| Belarus | 0.47331 |
| Botswana | 0.50000 |
| Tunisia | 0.55556 |
| Bermuda | 0.60000 |
| Ukraine | 0.61833 |
The median is above the mean
The median is 1.08782, compared with a mean of 1.03288. The first quartile is 0.82027 and the third quartile 1.21442. The middle half of the destination observations therefore falls between roughly 0.82027 and 1.21442.
Several low values in the 0.3–0.6 range pull the mean below the median. At the same time, two destinations sit at 2.0. The median gives a useful sense of the central destination, while the mean reflects the influence of the broader tails.
Most observations sit between 1.03 and 1.50
There are 6 observations below 0.50, 13 between 0.50 and under 0.80, and 8 between 0.80 and under 0.97. Three fall in the parity band, 48 are between 1.03 and under 1.50, and 2 are 1.50 or higher.
These bands are descriptive, not official performance categories. The formal reference remains 1 with 0.97–1.03 treated as the parity range. The extra intervals simply make the distribution easier to understand.
Adjusted GPIA is not a literal female-to-male multiple
A simple female-to-male ratio is naturally bounded below 1, but the upper side has no comparable limit. Adjusted parity indices transform ratios above 1 so disparities in both directions can be expressed on a 0–2 scale centered on 1.
That means a value of 1.4 should not be translated into ‘40% more female students.’ The safer interpretation focuses on direction, distance from 1, and whether the observation falls within the parity band.
The regional origin aggregate hides country-of-origin differences
North America and Western Europe contain multiple origin countries. Their international mobility patterns may differ substantially, but this series combines them into one origin group before reporting destination-level parity.
Country-specific origin indicators are required to examine those differences. The regional series is useful for a broad destination comparison, but it cannot establish that every origin country within North America and Western Europe shows the same gender pattern.
Extreme values may reflect small destination populations
Parity indices can move sharply when the underlying number of students is small. A difference of only a few students can create an endpoint or near-endpoint value in a destination with limited enrolment from the origin region.
The verified data contain the final GPIA but not female and male headcounts by destination. They therefore cannot show whether Belize’s or Saint Lucia’s value of 2 represents a large student population or a small one.
GPIA is not a ranking of destination quality
A high index does not mean a destination has better universities, lower costs, or a more favorable environment for women. A low index does not imply the reverse. The indicator only describes relative gender composition within one origin-region group.
Fields of study, degree levels, scholarships, exchange programmes, language, migration routes, and individual preferences can be associated with mobility. The current indicator does not identify which factors cause a destination’s value.
Missing destinations are not zero
None of the 80 observed values is 0.00000. A destination that is absent from the source should remain missing rather than being inserted as zero. Zero-filling would create false extreme cases and distort averages and rankings.
By contrast, the two published values of 2.00000 are genuine endpoint observations and should remain in the analysis. Missing values and observed endpoints answer different statistical questions.
One year cannot establish a trend
The 2023 cross-section compares destinations at one point in time. It cannot show whether a destination is moving toward parity, whether gender gaps are widening, or whether endpoint observations are persistent.
Trend analysis should follow the same `E.5T8.FOREIGN.ORG40500.GPIA` series over multiple comparable years and, where available, add female and male student counts. That would connect index changes to actual mobility volumes.
Official source and interpretation
The official source is the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. This comparison uses 80 NATIONAL destination observations for 2023 from indicator `E.5T8.FOREIGN.ORG40500.GPIA`. North America and Western Europe form the origin region, and each row is a destination country or territory. Official values are available through the UNESCO UIS Data API.
Although some internal source labels include the word ‘number,’ the indicator identity is an adjusted GPIA. Public interpretation therefore uses the 0–2 parity-index semantics, not student counts. The origin-destination direction, parity reference, and separation of missing values from observed endpoints are essential.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are North America and Western Europe origins or destinations in this indicator?
They form the origin region. Each country row is a destination for internationally mobile tertiary students from that origin group.
What does a GPIA of 1 mean?
It is the reference point for relative gender parity, with 0.97–1.03 commonly treated as the parity band.
Does a GPIA of 2 mean exactly twice as many female students?
No. The adjusted transformation changes ratios above 1, so 2 is not a literal female-to-male multiple.
Are missing destinations treated as zero?
No. Missing observations remain missing; none of the 80 published destination values is an official zero.
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