The people we work with across the globe. Images, clockwise from left: 1. copyright Tim Hall 2. copyright Photodisc 3. copyright Banana Stock

About us

Our purpose and direction
Governance and funding
Strategy 2010
Annual report 2007-08
Facts and figures
Our history
Working with us
Online services guidelines

Facts and figures

A quick look at our work over the past year

The numbers behind our work

We operate in the UK and 110 other countries and territories worldwide.

We employ 7,900 staff. In our 2007 staff survey 74 per cent of them said that they were proud to work for the British Council.

In 2006/07 we had a total turnover £551 million. £188 million of this came as a grant-in-aid from the UK Government.

In 2006/07 we reached over 86 million people and worked closely with over 16.5 million of them.

In recent research, 87 per cent of our UK clients and partners said we can open doors for the UK that no other organisation can.

In a year:

8.5 million people visit our centres
we help 1.3 million people sit professional and academic exams from the UK
we teach English to 325,000 learners English in 53 countries - that’s 1.1 million class hours a year plus 50,000 military, police and border guard personnel in 30 countries taking part in our Peacekeeping English project
we manage over 1,700 arts events
1.5 million people use our website
we answer 2.5 million general enquiries and 35.4 million enquiries a year about opportunities from the UK.

We are currently leading a government campaign to bring 100,000 more higher and further education students to the UK by 2011.

External research suggests at least 40 per cent of international students in the UK use our education services before coming here

To find out more about our work in 2006-07 take a look at our annual report.

DCSIMG