The UK has been, and still is, the first destination for international students learning English. However, as with many things in life, the devil is in the details. What is interesting is that the UK leads for short-term stays. Not surprisingly, most of the students are European, but this presents a problem for the UK as there has not been much growth in the European market. When you look at long-term study stints, the US becomes the most popular destination; this can be attributed to the strength of pathways programs. The UK is also losing market share to Canada and Australia, which have both been growing for the past few years.
If you are a geeky, ESL-admin type such as ourselves, check out English UK’s report (there are some nice infographics too).