6.4% of EU primary pupils learn multiple languages

In 2023, 6.4% of primary school pupils in the EU were learning 2 or more foreign languages. Between 2013 and 2023, this share increased by 1.8 percentage points (pp) from 4.6%. 

Luxembourg was the only EU country where the majority of primary school pupils (78.9%) were learning 2 or more foreign languages. This share was much higher than in the remaining countries. Luxembourg was followed by Latvia (37.0%), Greece (35.5%) and Estonia (34.9%). 

Data show that between 2013 and 2023, the shares increased in 15 EU countries, even if modestly. The highest increases were recorded in Latvia (+22.1 pp), Finland (+15.2 pp), Greece (+9.6 pp) and Spain (+8.3 pp). 

In contrast, in 8 EU countries the shares declined, most significantly in Poland (-6.5 pp) and Luxembourg (-4.9 pp). Additionally, in Croatia (18.4%) and Bulgaria (1.5%), the share remained unchanged in the same period.

Source dataset: educ_uoe_lang02

60% of EU lower secondary pupils are studying 2 or more languages

At the lower secondary level, in 2023, 59.5% of pupils were learning 2 or more foreign languages. Compared with 2013, this share rose from 58.4%. 

Finland had the highest share among the EU countries with 97.8% of the pupils. Greece, Italy, Malta, Estonia, Romania, and Portugal also registered high shares varying between 96.6% and 93.2%. The lowest shares were observed in Ireland (5.4%), Hungary (6.1%) and Austria (7.6%)

Compared with 2013, the share of lower secondary level pupils learning 2 or more foreign languages increased in 11 EU countries, with Czechia (+24.8 pp), France (+22.0 pp) and Belgium (+18.2 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 -42.8 pp in Poland, -33.0 pp in Slovenia and -26.0 pp in Slovakia, and -0.5 pp in Finland, -0.8 pp in Estonia and -1.0 pp in Romania. 

Source dataset: educ_uoe_lang02

This news article marks the European Day of Languages, under the theme ‘languages open hearts and minds!’.