The latest ICEF i-graduate Agent Barometer reveals anxiety about the global political situation is impacting student numbers in some key markets.

Preliminary findings from a study carried out by the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE) and its parent company i-Graduate show that agent usage has grown considerably across all major markets, including the US which has until recently historically been averse to using them.

The ICEF i-graduate Agent Barometer indicate that Australia has gained ground in the overall attractiveness of study destinations while Canada inched ahead of the UK to be ranked second in the world in terms of overall appeal for international students.The US topped the list with 73% of agents saying it is a "very attractive" study destination.

The top five most attractive study destinations according to education agents have not changed since last year, according to the i-graduate ICEF Agent Barometer 2012, however Canada has significantly gained ground on its competitors. 64% rated it "very attractive" – up 5% on 2011 and 15% on 2008.