Figures released in May by the Australian Bureau of Statistics Trade in Services shows international education contributed A$15.5 billion in export income to the Australian economy in 2008.
The figure is a 23.4 percent increase on the 2007 figure of $12.6 billion.

Of the total export income generated by education services in 2008, $15 billion was from spending on fees and goods and services by onshore students and the remaining $505 million on other offshore education services including distance education student fees and education consultancy services.
Education is Australia’s largest services export industry.