Romanian students study some of the highest numbers of foreign languages in school across the European Union, yet young people in Romania remain among those who speak the fewest. The findings come from Eurostat data analyzed by Monitorul Social (the Social Monitor), a project of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Romania.

According to the analysis, almost all students in Romania, namely 99.9% in primary and secondary education, study at least one foreign language, while about 60% learn two or more. This places Romania among the top three EU countries in terms of access to foreign language learning in schools, after Luxembourg and Finland.

However, the same source said, only 73.7% of Romanians aged 18 to 24 speak at least one foreign language, placing the country 24th out of the 27 EU member states analyzed. The EU average stands at 87.3%.

Only Ireland, Hungary, and Bulgaria recorded lower levels than Romania, while in countries such as Slovenia, Luxembourg, Latvia, and Sweden, more than 96% of young people speak at least one foreign language.

The gap is even wider when it comes to speaking multiple languages. Only 28.2% of Romanian youth know at least two foreign languages, well below the EU average of 50.3%. Meanwhile, more than a quarter of young Romanians (26.4%) do not speak any foreign language. 

The data also showed a strong generational gap, as only 30% of Romanians aged 55-64 know at least one foreign language.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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