International student mobility from low and middle-income countries in health professions education

Background

International student mobility in health professions education (HPE) is an underexplored public health issue. For students from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), mobility may expand educational opportunity, but it may also reinforce inequities in training, migration and workforce distribution. Understanding these patterns is relevant because HPE is closely linked to health system capacity and future workforce availability.

Methods

We conducted a scoping review of empirical studies on international mobility among HPE students from LMICs, published between 2016 and 2026. Searches were run in EBSCO, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus and resulted in the review of 57 studies.

Results

The evidence base was dominated by medicine and nursing. Most studies examined degree mobility between LMICs, while mobility to HICs was mainly short-term. China was the most prominent destination. Students moved abroad to access training, improve career prospects, gain social mobility, seek safety or experience greater personal freedom. Reported benefits included intercultural learning, stronger professional identity and broader clinical or academic perspectives. However, these gains were often constrained by language barriers, weak institutional support, curricular mismatch, limited practical exposure and uncertain recognition of qualifications. Evidence on future migration was mixed: many students intended to return home, but mobility also widened aspirations and opportunities for onward migration, including to HICs.

Conclusions

International student mobility in HPE should be understood as part of the global public health workforce landscape rather than as a purely educational issue. It can generate learning and opportunity, but also reproduce structural inequalities. Public health policy should link internationalisation strategies more closely to workforce planning, qualification recognition, student support and equitable partnership models.

Key messages

• International student mobility in health professions education shapes future workforce distribution and is a public health issue, not only an education issue.

• Mobility can expand opportunity for LMIC students, but without equitable support it can also deepen inequalities in training, recognition and retention.