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More pupils in the EU are learning multiple languages

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Mastering more than one language is an advantage, that not only expands one’s perspective by glancing at another culture but also creates future opportunities in the workplace. For this skill, schools and educational institutions are one of the first linguistic playgrounds.  

In 2022, 6.5% of primary school pupils in the EU were learning two or more foreign languages. 

Luxembourg was the only EU country where the majority of primary school pupils (79.6%) were learning 2 or more foreign languages, considerably higher than in the remaining countries. Luxembourg was followed by Latvia (37.2%), Greece (34.9%) and Estonia (33.6%). 

Between 2013 and 2022, the share of primary school pupils in the EU learning at least 2 foreign languages increased from 4.6% to 6.5%. Data show that in 18 EU countries, the shares increased, even if modestly. The highest increases were recorded in Latvia (+22.3 percentage points (pp)), Finland (+ 14.9 pp), Spain (+9.2 pp) and Greece (+9.0 pp), while the remaining ones did not exceed 4.7 pp.

In the 9 EU countries where the share declined, Poland (-6.8 pp) and Luxembourg (-4.2  pp) reported the most significant drop. 

Proportion of pupils in primary education learning 2 or more foreign languages, %, 2013-2022. Bar chart. See link to full dataset below.

Source dataset: educ_uoe_lang02

Three-fifths of EU lower secondary pupils are studying two or more languages

At lower secondary level, in 2022, 60.7% of the pupils were learning two or more foreign languages. 

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In Finland, this figure came to 98.0% of the pupils, the highest share among the EU countries. Italy, Greece, Malta, Estonia, Romania, Luxembourg and Portugal also registered high shares varying between 96.6% and 92.9%. The lowest shares were observed in Ireland (6.1%), Hungary (6.6%) and Austria (7.7%).

Compared with 2013, the share of lower secondary pupils in the EU learning at least 2 foreign languages rose to 60.7% in 2022, from 58.4%. 

This share increased in 11 EU countries, with Czechia (+24.1 pp), France (+21.8 pp) and Belgium (+18.5 pp) registering the highest increases. On the other hand, in 16 EU countries, the share of lower secondary pupils learning at least 2 foreign languages went down, with decreases varying between -31.8 pp in Slovenia, -31.7 pp in Poland and -26.9 pp in Slovakia, and -0.3pp in Finland, -0.9 pp in Malta and -1.1 pp in both Estonia and Romania. 

Proportion of pupils in secondary education learning 2 or more foreign languages, %, 2013-2022. Bar chart. See link to full dataset below.

Source dataset: educ_uoe_lang02

This article is being published on the occasion of the European Day of Languages, this year under the theme “Languages for Peace”.

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Methodological notes

  • Luxembourg: Although the official languages of Luxembourg are French, German and Luxembourgish, for the purpose of education statistics French and German are counted as foreign languages
  • Finland: Depending on their mother tongue, students have to choose between Finnish and Swedish, both considered as foreign languages for the purpose of education statistics. Break in series.
  • Belgium: the official state languages are Dutch, French and German.
  • Denmark: 2013 data related to primary school pupils are not available. 

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