Visualizing the Numbers Behind the United States' Hottest Export: Education

According to a most recent data culling by the folks at Northeastern University, higher education is among the United States' top service sector exports. In fact, numbers indicate that International students contribute more than $21 billion to the U.S. economy through their expenditures on tuition and living expenses on American universities.

The visual also showcases record growth in international student attendance at U.S. universities, with an increase of 5.7 percent during the 2011/2012 academic year. The top 3 countries sending students over for education include China (22 percent), India (14 percent) and South Korea (10 percent), together totaling nearly half of the total international enrollment in U.S. higher education.

Here's a complete look:

Lead Image courtesy: Matt Radick + Infographic via Northeastern University