Malta Ranks Among EU’s Strongest Countries For Learning Multiple Languages

Malta’s multilingual culture is showing up clearly in the latest Eurostat figures, with students here ranking among the strongest in Europe when it comes to learning multiple languages.

Given that Maltese and English are both official languages in Malta, and English is already part of everyday schooling, the more interesting figure is how many students go on to learn two or more foreign languages.

At lower secondary level, between 93.4% and 96.3% of pupils in Malta were learning at least two foreign languages in 2024, placing Malta among the highest-ranking EU countries.

Only Finland ranked higher, at 97.2%, while Malta sat alongside countries including Greece, Italy, Romania and Portugal near the top of the table.

That compares with an EU average of just 58.8% of lower secondary students learning two or more foreign languages.

Malta also continued to perform strongly at upper secondary level, with language learning remaining widespread among students following both general and vocational routes. (ec.europa.eu)

While Eurostat classifies English as a foreign language for statistical purposes in Malta, the country’s reality is obviously different, with English being one of Malta’s two official languages and widely used in education, business and everyday life.

That makes Malta’s strong showing in additional language learning the more notable takeaway.

Growing up switching between Maltese and English already gives many students a multilingual foundation, with languages such as Italian, French, Spanish and German adding another layer.

For a small country with a highly international economy, that ability to communicate across languages remains a genuine advantage.

Multilingual Malta doing what multilingual Malta does best.

#MaltaDaily