Of the current serving presidents, prime ministers and monarchs educated at a university outside their own home country, 70 received higher education in the US compared to 58 in the UK.
The gap between the US and the UK is the largest it has been since the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) think tank first launched the annual “soft-power index” in 2017.
Nick Hillman, director of Hepi, has warned that the gap between these two countries could widen further in future years because of the former UK Government’s immigration policies affecting international students.
He told the PA news agency: “We have sowed the seeds for our own further relative decline and we have done it knowingly.”
The UK topped the think tank’s first rankings in 2017, but the US overtook Britain in the subsequent year and it has maintained the lead ever since.
Over the past year, the number of world leaders educated in the US increased from 65 to 70 – the biggest one-year increase – while the number educated in the UK remained the same.
The study of 195 countries and their senior leaders, carried out in August, shows that France is still in third place in the index despite educating fewer world leaders than last year (28 in total).
The think tank has suggested that the number of world leaders educated in other countries than their own is a useful proxy for the amount of “soft power” held by different countries
Mr Hillman said: “As a firm believer in the benefits of studying abroad, I am sorry to see the UK’s relative position slip – and for the sixth time since we began calculating the numbers seven years ago.
“What could once have been excused as a blip is now a very clear trend.
“International students bring all sorts of financial, educational and social benefits to the UK but the constant flux in policy, such as the tighter rules introduced in January 2024, has confused people about whether the UK is truly welcoming.
“So, we cannot assume that we will recover the ground we have lost relative to the US.
“I hope the new UK Government, which immediately adopted much more positive rhetoric on international students, will bear Hepi’s soft-power index in mind as they continue evaluating whether the current student migration rules and high visa costs are fit for purpose.”
A spokesperson for Universities UK (UUK) said: “Our universities are world renowned for their high quality of teaching and research and UK universities remain a top destination for some of the world’s most powerful people.
“These figures are a reminder of the important role our universities play in exporting British values around the world, vital at a time of increased global insecurity, underscoring why it is imperative that they are funded sustainably now for the future.”
A Government spokesman said: “We will create a secure future for our universities as engines of growth and opportunity so they can deliver for students, local communities and the economy.
“The UK remains a world leading provider of higher education and we take pride in our world-class universities, who reach and empower millions of students globally with high quality education.
“International students enrich our university campuses, and we want to attract those who meet the requirements to study here, but it is also essential to strike a balance with reducing overall migration levels.”
