International School Diversity Index 2026
Which international schools host the most nationalities? Which cities give expat children the broadest peer group? Computed from 1,993 schools across 140 cities in 69 countries — the only globally-comparable dataset on international school diversity. See what changed →
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International school diversity — measured by student nationality mix — is highly concentrated: the most diverse schools globally cluster in fewer than 30 cities, despite 4,149 institutions spanning 300+ locations across 78 countries
Copy with attribution: “International school diversity — measured by student nationality mix — is highly concentrated: the most diverse schools globally cluster in fewer than 30 cities, despite 4,149 institutions spanning 300+ locations across 78 countries” — WhereNext, as of 2026-04-06
Quick answer
Key facts
- Global median: 30 nationalities/school across 1,993 schools that publish this stat.
- Most diverse single school 140 nationalities — top of the dataset.
- Top diversity cities (top 3) Washington D.C. area, Dubai, Vienna — highest city-level medians.
- 10 country medians ranked country-level diversity reveals systemic differences (UAE, Hong Kong vs more local-leaning markets).
- Source: WhereNext school DB compiled from public school disclosures; WhereNext's derived index is CC BY 4.0 — source data retains its own terms.
Top 20 most internationally diverse cities
Ranked by median number of student nationalities per school. Cities need at least 3 schools with nationality data to appear in the ranking.
| # | City | Schools | Median | Max | Diversity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 Washington D.C. area United States | 4 | 75 | 108 | 76/100 |
| 2 | 🇦🇪 Dubai United Arab Emirates | 110 | 60 | 109 | 64/100 |
| 3 | 🇦🇹 Vienna Austria | 4 | 58 | 112 | 59/100 |
| 4 | 🇳🇱 Rotterdam Netherlands | 11 | 57 | 107 | 58/100 |
| 5 | 🇩🇪 Berlin Germany | 14 | 55 | 78 | 74/100 |
| 6 | 🇸🇦 Dammam Metropolitan Area Saudi Arabia | 6 | 53 | 60 | 85/100 |
| 7 | 🇶🇦 Doha Qatar | 48 | 52 | 85 | 64/100 |
| 8 | 🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi UAE | 46 | 50 | 90 | 59/100 |
| 9 | 🇧🇪 Brussels Belgium | 15 | 50 | 70 | 72/100 |
| 10 | 🇬🇷 Athens Greece | 8 | 50 | 60 | 82/100 |
| 11 | 🇪🇪 Tallinn Estonia | 3 | 50 | 60 | 82/100 |
| 12 | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 8 | 50 | 73 | 70/100 |
| 13 | 🇸🇦 Jeddah Saudi Arabia | 6 | 49 | 65 | 75/100 |
| 14 | 🇩🇪 Frankfurt Germany | 8 | 47 | 66 | 71/100 |
| 15 | 🇹🇭 Pattaya Thailand | 10 | 45 | 50 | 87/100 |
| 16 | 🇩🇰 Copenhagen Denmark | 8 | 45 | 80 | 60/100 |
| 17 | 🇳🇱 Eindhoven Netherlands | 3 | 45 | 63 | 72/100 |
| 18 | 🇷🇸 Belgrade Serbia | 7 | 45 | 60 | 75/100 |
| 19 | 🇬🇧 London United Kingdom | 20 | 44 | 70 | 65/100 |
| 20 | 🇩🇪 Dusseldorf - Cologne - Bonn Germany | 6 | 44 | 80 | 57/100 |
Median = typical school in the city. Max = most diverse school in the city. Diversity = WhereNext score (0-100) blending relative city position and absolute nationality count.
Top 30 most diverse international schools
Individual schools with the highest student nationality counts. These schools are the gold standard for globally mobile families — children meet peers from dozens of countries.
International School of Geneva
United Nations International School
Schellhammer International School Malaga Costa Del Sol
Vienna International School
The American University of Paris Preparatory School
GEMS Dubai American Academy
Washington International School
The International School of The Hague
American International School of Johannesburg
GEMS Founders School Dubai
UWC Maastricht
UWC Robert Bosch College
Gems International School Dubai Hills
Nord Anglia International School Dubai
Gems Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis Dubai
Li Po Chun United World College Of Hong Kong
Greenfield International School Dubai
Greenfield International School
Marymount International School Rome
St George's British International School
Raffles International School
Institut International de Lancy
GEMS Wellington International School
The Winchester School
Dubai International Academy
Fontenebro International School Madrid
British International School Riyadh
The British International School Abu Dhabi
Raffles International School
The British School in The Netherlands
Top 10 countries by school diversity
Countries ranked by median student nationality count across their international schools. Hubs with large expat populations dominate — Singapore, the UAE, Hong Kong, and Switzerland consistently host the most globally diverse student bodies.
| # | Country | Schools | Cities | Median | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 156 | 2 | 59 | 109 |
| 2 | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 48 | 1 | 52 | 85 |
| 3 | 🇬🇷 Greece | 8 | 1 | 50 | 60 |
| 4 | 🇱🇺 | 8 | 1 | 50 | 73 |
| 5 | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 7 | 1 | 45 | 60 |
| 6 | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 12 | 1 | 41 | 75 |
| 7 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 58 | 23 | 40 | 100 |
| 8 | 🇺🇸 United States | 35 | 5 | 40 | 122 |
| 9 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 47 | 1 | 40 | 80 |
| 10 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 37 | 8 | 40 | 107 |
Diversity by curriculum
Median nationality count by curriculum type. IB and British schools tend to attract the broadest international populations — IB because it's the most globally-recognized program, British because of its reach across 160 countries.
Methodology
Student nationality counts come from school-published profiles, admissions materials, and the International Schools Database. Each school in the WhereNext directory carries a number_of_nationalities field where the data is available — currently 1,993 schools across 140 cities.
The diversity score (0-100) is computed by scripts/compute-school-analytics.ts using two signals: relative position within the school's city (80% weight) and absolute nationality count (20% weight, with bonuses at 25, 40, and 60 nationality thresholds). The ratio-based formula means a school in a small city with 30 nationalities can score higher than a school in a global hub with 50 — what matters is how diverse it is for its market.
Inclusion criteria for the city ranking: a city must have at least 3 schools reporting nationality data to appear. Smaller datasets are statistically unreliable.
Inclusion criteria for the country ranking: a country must have at least 5 schools reporting nationality data to appear, ensuring the median is meaningful.
What this measures: the breadth of student nationalities at a given school. What this does NOT measure: educational quality, English proficiency, social integration, or how welcoming the school is to a specific minority. A high diversity score is a good signal for globally-mobile families — kids meet peers from many countries — but it should be one input among several when picking a school.
Data freshness: nationality counts are updated whenever schools update their public profiles. WhereNext reverifies on a rolling basis. Always check the school's current prospectus before applying.
Open data
This dataset is licensed under CC BY 4.0. You can use it for research, journalism, or commercial work — just credit WhereNext and link back to this page.