American students studying abroad have reached 205,983, said a report published in Washington on Monday.

This latest surge builds on steady increases over the past few decades, and is buoyed in part by growing interest in destinations in Asia and South America, according to Open Doors, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

Students are increasingly going to study in non-traditional destinations, and increasingly to non English-speaking countries, says the report.

U.S. students studying abroad have increased by 144 percent in the last decade, up from 84,403 in 1994-1995, according to the report.

Editor: Donald