Global Spotlight: Indonesia

In the quest to diversify sources of international students and discover replacements for the slowing tide of students from China, universities are focusing on Indonesia: With a growing economy, nascent middle class, and the fifth-largest population in the world, the archipelago makes a rich potential recruiting and partnership destination, but a closer look at some key numbers reveals a more nuanced picture.

By the Numbers:

• 94%: Literacy.
• 31%: Unemployment.
• 8,727: International students at U.S. institutions in 2015–16.
• 3X: overall spending for higher education has tripled to nearly $3 billion.
• 48th: On one ranking of national higher economic systems, Indonesia placed 48th out of 50 countries.
• 8–9 million: People annually projected to become newly middle class through 2020.