UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) indicator `E.5T8.FOREIGN.ORG826.GPIA` measures adjusted gender parity among internationally mobile tertiary students from the United Kingdom by destination country. The United Kingdom is the fixed country of origin, and each row is a destination where UK-origin internationally mobile tertiary students are enrolled. The value is not a student count or a female percentage. It is an adjusted gender parity index on a 0–2 scale centered on 1, with 0.97–1.03 commonly used as the parity band.
The verified 2020 dataset contains 78 destination-country observations. Forty-seven are below 0.97, nine fall within 0.97–1.03, and twenty-two are above 1.03. The median is 0.897 and the mean 0.867. Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, and North Macedonia are at the upper boundary of 2.00000. Seven destinations are at the lower boundary of 0.00000.
Table of Contents
Each row is a destination for students originating in the United Kingdom
The origin-destination direction is central to reading this series. Indicator code `ORG826` fixes the United Kingdom as the origin. An Australia row therefore describes gender parity among UK-origin internationally mobile tertiary students studying in Australia, not Australian students studying abroad.
The measure is also narrower than the gender composition of all international students in the destination. Students originating in other countries are not part of this indicator. Reversing the direction or broadening the population would answer a different question.
A GPIA of 1 is the reference point for parity
Gender parity indices compare female and male values. The adjusted version transforms the scale so disparities on the two sides of 1 can be interpreted more symmetrically. Values near 1 indicate a relatively balanced female and male distribution, while values farther from 1 indicate a larger imbalance.
Argentina, Cuba, Cyprus, Poland, and Slovakia are exactly at 1.00000. Austria at 0.98305, Iceland at 0.98507, Spain at 1.01507, and Portugal at 1.02524 also fall inside the 0.97–1.03 parity band. Only nine of the 78 observed destinations are inside that band.
Most destination observations are below the parity band
Forty-seven destinations, about 60.3% of the observed set, are below 0.97. The median of 0.897 is also below 1. In directional terms, the female relative value is lower than the male relative value for UK-origin internationally mobile tertiary students in these destinations.
GPIA alone does not reveal the underlying number of women and men. Two destinations can have the same index while one has a small UK student population and the other has a much larger one. Absolute sex-specific enrolment counts are needed to measure the gap in people.
Twenty-two destinations are above 1.03
Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, and North Macedonia record 2.00000. Ghana is at 1.84615, Liechtenstein 1.75000, Belarus 1.60000, Croatia 1.52174, Lithuania 1.38298, and Iran (Islamic Republic of) 1.28571.
These destinations lie on the side where the female relative value is higher. However, a value of 2.00000 does not mean exactly twice as many female UK students as male UK students. Adjusted parity indices transform ratios above 1, so values on the upper side are not literal female-to-male multiples.
| Destination country or territory | 2020 GPIA |
|---|---|
| Armenia | 2.00000 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2.00000 |
| Botswana | 2.00000 |
| North Macedonia | 2.00000 |
| Ghana | 1.84615 |
| Liechtenstein | 1.75000 |
| Belarus | 1.60000 |
| Croatia | 1.52174 |
| Lithuania | 1.38298 |
| Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 1.28571 |
Seven official zeros are not missing data
The Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Saint Lucia, Namibia, El Salvador, and Viet Nam have official values of 0.00000. Oman follows at 0.12500, Thailand at 0.21667, and Morocco at 0.25000.
The observed dataset contains 7 official zeros and 4 official values of 2. Missing source observations are preserved separately rather than being filled with zero. The zeros are therefore genuine published indicator values and should not be confused with destinations that have no observation.
| Destination country or territory | 2020 GPIA |
|---|---|
| Costa Rica | 0.00000 |
| Dominican Republic | 0.00000 |
| El Salvador | 0.00000 |
| Namibia | 0.00000 |
| Panama | 0.00000 |
| Saint Lucia | 0.00000 |
| Viet Nam | 0.00000 |
| Oman | 0.12500 |
| Thailand | 0.21667 |
| Morocco | 0.25000 |
The mean and median sit below parity
The simple mean is 0.867 and the median 0.897. The first quartile is 0.611 and the third quartile 1.041. The middle half of observed destinations therefore falls between roughly 0.611 and 1.041.
The mean is below the median because several official zeros and other low values pull the average downward. At the same time, the upper tail contains values between 1.5 and 2. A single average therefore hides a distribution with substantial asymmetry and extreme observations at both ends.
Zero and two are the endpoints of the adjusted scale
The adjusted gender parity index is bounded between 0 and 2, with 1 at the center. Zero represents an extreme imbalance in one direction and 2 represents an extreme imbalance in the opposite direction. These values are index endpoints, not percentages.
Extreme index values can be especially sensitive to small underlying student populations. Without female and male counts, the current series cannot establish whether a destination-level endpoint reflects a large group or only a small number of UK-origin students.
Why UIS uses an adjusted gender parity index
A simple female-to-male ratio is bounded on the lower side but not on the upper side, which makes equal-sized disparities difficult to compare around 1. The adjusted transformation changes the above-parity side so the final index is centered on 1 and limited to 0–2.
The best interpretation is therefore direction, distance from 1, and whether the observation falls within 0.97–1.03. Values above 1 should not be converted into literal multiples without returning to the unadjusted sex-specific counts or rates.
This does not describe all international students in a destination
The indicator is restricted to students originating in the United Kingdom. A destination may have a very different gender composition when students from every origin country are combined. The UK-origin pattern should not be generalized to the destination’s entire international education sector.
It also should not be used as a broad measure of how welcoming a destination is to women or men. The series reports one narrow statistical relationship for one origin group within tertiary-level international mobility.
Underlying student population size matters
Ratio-based indices can move sharply when the number of students is small. A difference of only a few students can create an extreme GPIA in a destination with limited UK-origin enrolment, while a similar index in a large destination could involve many more people.
The verified dataset contains final GPIA observations but not the female and male student counts used to construct them. Questions about absolute scale therefore require a separate enrolment-count series.
What one year cannot show
The 2020 cross-section cannot show whether destinations are moving toward gender parity or away from it. It also cannot determine whether the seven zeros or four values of 2 are persistent patterns or temporary observations.
A trend analysis should follow the same `E.5T8.FOREIGN.ORG826.GPIA` series across multiple years. Adding sex-specific counts would help distinguish real changes in student flows from large movements in an index generated by small populations.
Official source and interpretation
The official source is the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. This comparison uses 78 NATIONAL destination observations for 2020 from indicator `E.5T8.FOREIGN.ORG826.GPIA`. The United Kingdom is the fixed origin and each row is a destination country or territory. Official values are available through the UNESCO UIS Data API.
The essential rules are to treat the value as an adjusted parity index rather than a count or percentage, keep the origin-destination direction clear, and preserve official zeros as observed values rather than missing-data placeholders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the countries in this dataset origins or destinations?
They are destinations. The United Kingdom is the fixed origin of the internationally mobile tertiary-student group.
What does a GPIA of 1 mean?
It is the reference point for gender parity, with 0.97–1.03 commonly treated as the parity band.
Does a GPIA of 2 mean twice as many female students as male students?
No. The adjusted transformation changes ratios above 1, so 2 is not a literal female-to-male multiple.
Are zero values missing data filled with zero?
No. The 0.00000 values are official observations; destinations without data remain missing.
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