The UAE has claimed the top spot in the world as the country with the highest number of international schools, a report said.

The number of international schools in the UAE has risen to 439 up from 433 in the first quarter of this year, according to the report in Wam, the Emirates official news agency, which cited a study by the International School Consultancy Group (ISC), a leader in market intelligence on the global international schools market.

Gulf schools registered the second fastest growth rate in the world and now have 982 international schools in the region with a million students collectively paying $6 billion in fees,the ISC report said.

According to ISC, international schools are those that have a curriculum to any combination of infant, primary or secondary students, wholly or partly in English outside an English-speaking country.

Saudi Arabia has 195 international schools, Qatar 130 and Kuwait now hosts 80 international schools, teaching close to 90,000 students; while Oman has 58 operational international schools, with nearly 60,000 students.

The full report will be presented at the forthcoming International Private Schools Education Forum (IPSEF) in Dubai between September 23 and 25, said Wam in the report.