A study has found Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates are the best places for British universities to set up overseas campuses or establish partnerships with local higher education (HE) providers.

The report, commissioned by the British Council, identified the countries as “hotspots” for transnational education activity.

The report took into consideration student demand and international mobility in 25 nations, as well as to what extent their governments are open to foreign HE providers.

The Shape of Things to Come 2: the evolution of trans-national education found each of the four countries to be above average in almost all of the categories.

The study will be discussed this week at the British Council's Going Global conference, one of the world's largest gatherings of higher education leaders.

The event will take place in Dubai from 4 to 6 March 2013.

The latest Higher Education Statistics Agency figures show there are around 571,000 people studying abroad for UK higher education qualifications compared with about 488,000 foreign students in the UK.

David Willetts, the universities and science minister, has encouraged British universities to expand the number of courses they teach overseas.

The British Council report also found favourable conditions in Qatar and South Korea, while Bahrain, Botswana, China, India, Mauritius, Oman, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam have strengths and weaknesses in different areas.