In 2016 a total of 12,201 Bulgarians studied abroad. 90.5% (11 052) are graduates of European universities, Eurostat data show. According to this indicator Bulgaria ranks above countries like Sweden, Ireland and Portugal. A leader is the UK with little over 144,000 British citizens studying at universities in the Old Continent. Nearly 700,000 Europeans are studying in a foreign country on the continent. Nearly half a million students from Europe are studying in Asia. 791 out of them are from Bulgaria. This country comes in front of six EU countries under this benchmark. Leader in Asia is the UK with 220,000 students, followed by Germany and France. 177 Bulgarian students are studying in Africa, and 153 have enrolled in a university in North America. Students from Bulgaria in Central and South America are 19, while those studying in Australia and the region near the continent are 9.