Foreign language learning in Cyprus varies significantly depending on the type and level of education, according to new data from Eurostat released on Monday.

At lower-secondary level, 79.8 per cent of pupils studied two or more foreign languages, well above the EU average of 59.5 per cent.

However, this marks a decline of 11.8 percentage points since 2013, underlining a steady drop in multilingualism among younger students.

At the upper-secondary level, the picture is more uneven. In general education, just 33.2 per cent of students in Cyprus learned two or more languages in 2023, compared with an EU average of 60 per cent, and marking a sharp 26.8 percentage-point decrease over the past decade, the largest drop across the bloc.

By contrast, vocational programmes have recorded a dramatic rise, with more than 50 per cent of pupils studying multiple languages. This 50.2 point increase since 2013 is the steepest growth of any EU country.

Across Europe, multilingualism remains widespread in general education, though slightly down from 60.8 per cent in 2022.

France leads the table with 99.8 per cent of students studying two or more languages, followed closely by Romania at 99.1 per cent and Czechia at 98.5 per cent.

Finland and Luxembourg also report high shares, with 97.7 and 97.3 per cent respectively.

By contrast, Portugal, Ireland and Spain sit at the bottom, with just 6.7, 10.4 and 22.4 per cent of students studying multiple languages.

In vocational education, the differences are even starker. Romania tops the EU at 97.2 per cent, ahead of Finland with 85 per cent and Poland at 78 per cent.

Other strong performers include Slovenia and Estonia, where 71.4 and 65.8 per cent of vocational students learn two or more languages.

At the lower end, Spain and Greece each recorded just 0.1 per cent.

Eurostat also reported that English continues to dominate foreign language learning in European schools, studied by 96.0 per cent of upper-secondary general students and 80.1 per cent of vocational pupils.

English is almost universal in Cyprus, but the island also stands out for its high share of pupils studying French, at 53.9 per cent, one of the highest proportions in the EU.

Finally, Russian has emerged as a notable second language in vocational education, studied by around 15 per cent of students.