How Many Students Take the IB in Each Country? (2025 Data)
The IB runs in 153 countries, but the students are not spread evenly. We pulled the May 2025 numbers to show exactly where IB students are, and one country dominates more than you would expect.
IB worldwide, May 2025
202,102 students · 153 countries · 3,400 schools · United States alone: 100,079
Source: IB Diploma Programme Statistical Bulletin, May 2025 (final).
How many students take the IB worldwide?
In the May 2025 exam session, 202,102 students sat the IB Diploma across 153 countries and 3,400 schools. A smaller November session adds roughly 23,000 more, so the true annual total is closer to 225,000.
Which country has the most IB students?
The United States, by a huge margin: 100,079 candidates, very nearly half of every IB student in the May session. Canada is a distant second at 13,168. North America runs the IB at a scale no other region comes close to.
| Rank | Country | IB students (May 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 100,079 |
| 2 | Canada | 13,168 |
| 3 | Spain | 6,597 |
| 4 | India | 6,083 |
| 5 | China | 5,157 |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 5,064 |
| 7 | Netherlands | 4,639 |
| 8 | Mexico | 4,593 |
| 9 | UAE | 2,977 |
| 10 | Hong Kong | 2,630 |
What are the biggest IB countries outside North America?
Europe and Asia carry the rest. Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland lead in Europe, while India, China, the UAE, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore drive Asia and the Middle East. If you feel like every IB student you meet online is from Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai, the data backs you up: these are some of the densest IB hubs on the planet.
Doing the IB outside a big IB country?
You do not need a local tutor. Our mentoring is fully online and matches you with someone who scored a 7 in your exact subjects, wherever you are in the world.
Find a mentorWhere are Australia, Argentina and Ecuador?
They look small here for one reason: these countries sit their main exams in the November session, not May. Across the full year their numbers are much larger. In November 2025, for example, Peru, Australia and Argentina were among the biggest cohorts. So this May ranking slightly understates the southern hemisphere.
Why is the IB so big in the United States?
Unlike most countries, the IB in the US runs heavily through public high schools, not just private international schools. Thousands of state-funded schools offer the Diploma Programme, which is why one country can account for half of all candidates worldwide.
Is the IB the same everywhere?
Yes. That is the whole point. A 7 in IB Biology means the same thing in Toronto, Singapore or Dubai because every student sits the same syllabus and the same grade boundaries. Your location changes your timezone, not your exam.
Data source: International Baccalaureate, Diploma Programme Statistical Bulletin, May 2025 (final). Figures are May 2025 DP candidates by country and exclude the November session. Last updated May 2026.