UK tops new index of university destinations for world leaders
UK universities have educated the most world leaders out of any country in the world.
New research from Jisc, the UK's higher education digital, data and technology agency, has revealed that the UK universities continue to lead the way in educating states people around the world.
The research found that the UK educates more national leaders than any other country in the world. The latest research found that the UK had educated 50 world leaders, the highest amount of any country in the world. The UK is ahead of the United States of America which is in second place, followed by Russia and France.
Jisc analysed data on world leaders and ministers in every government in the world between 1990 and 2022, with a total dataset of over 5,455 individuals. The dataset includes heads of state and government ministers and demonstrates the UK’s continued legacy of educating world leaders and influential figures.
The University of Oxford educated 36 heads of government since 1990, the highest number of any UK university. This was followed by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) who educated 24 leaders and the remaining members of the University of London who collectively a further 16 leaders. Next up are the University of Manchester and University of Cambridge that both educated 13 national heads. The current leads of several influential countries including Finland, Philippines, Fiji and Belgium were educated in the UK.
Outside of just world leaders, fourteen universities had each educated over 10 government ministers in the past twenty-five years demonstrating the breadth of impact across the sector.
Heidi Fraser-Krauss, chief executive officer, Jisc said:
“Our latest research demonstrates the unrivalled impact of UK higher education across the world. Despite recent challenges, UK universities should remain upbeat that students who have studied in UK are having in impact as statespeople across the world.”
Vivenne Stern MBE, chief executive of Universities UK said:
“We’ve always known that our universities are a national asset – and this report demonstrates just how extraordinary they are. In a time of increasing global instability, our universities’ soft power benefits are more important than ever. Studying for a degree at a UK institution can shape a life, and many world leaders look back on their student days here with glowing pride, and credit their institution with who they have become today. It is essential that these less tangible benefits of a degree are not forgotten, and that we protect our universities, and the role they play on the global stage, both now and in the future.”