Global language learning trends 2025 vs. 2024

English continues to dominate as the most popular language in 2025, but the rest of the leaderboard tells another tale. German and Spanish have secured the number 2 and 3 spots, while French holds steady at number 4. The biggest surprise is that Swedish has climbed the ranks to become the 5th most popular language to learn globally.

Most studied languages in 2025

Berlitz data* showed that of the students learning a language online with an instructor, three languages stood out as the top choices: English, German, and Spanish.

*Students who learned a language online with an instructor

English is still number 1, but interest is cooling

English remains the global leader, with 63.3% of students choosing it in 2025, but the data shows its ‘must-have’ status is shifting. Market share has dipped slightly from 65.3% in 2022 as learners move away from what was once the default choice. Instead of just learning for business, more students are now prioritizing languages that offer a deeper cultural connection or a better competitive edge in their own regions.

French hangs in there

In 2025, French holds the number 4 spot with a 3.7% market share, but total student volume plummeted by 26.4%. As learners move toward more specialized or emerging markets, the traditional appeal of French is being tested.

Swedish is making its move

The real surprise of 2025? Swedish has surged into the top five for the first time with a 3.1% market share. Driven by the ‘Nordic dream’ and the pull of Sweden’s high quality of life and specialized job market, it has successfully knocked traditional favorites out of the top tier.

Languages in decline

While some languages are booming, others are losing their appeal, and fast. As we analyzed the latest data, a few sharp declines stood out.

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Hebrew sees the steepest decline

The most significant loss in our 2025 dataset was Hebrew, which saw student volume crash by 80.0%. Ongoing geopolitical volatility and regional tensions have clearly cooled interest in the language for both cultural and academic learners. Other specialized markets felt the chill as well, with Finnish dropping by 38.5% and Portuguese seeing a 31.1% dip.

French faces a sharp retreat

French student volume plummeted by 26.4% in 2025. As learners move away from traditional staples, the appeal of French is being tested as students prioritize faster-growing markets and niche regional opportunities that offer a different kind of career return on investment in the long term.

The Korean boom is leveling off

After years of massive growth fueled by the global K-culture wave, the hype is finally stabilizing. Enrollment fell by 15.9% this year. This doesn’t mean interest is disappearing, but the market is maturing; we’re seeing a shift from casual fans to a more dedicated, specialized base of learners focused on long-term academic or professional goals.

Fast-growing languages in 2025

We’re seeing a significant move toward Southeast Asian and specific regional languages that offer fresh opportunities for work, travel, and investment. They might not have the largest learner bases yet, but their momentum is worth keeping an eye on!

Japanese momentum continues

Japanese continues its upward trend, growing by 53.8% in 2025. It’s closing in on the top five, driven by more than just anime fans. A big factor is Japan’s record-breaking travel appeal; Statista reports that inbound tourism spend reached 8.1 trillion yen in 2024. This is combined with growing recognition of Japan’s leadership in the global tech and robotics sectors.

The hidden microtrends

Sometimes the most telling stories aren't in the big headlines, but in the smaller movements happening beneath the surface. While some of these percentage jumps come from smaller groups of learners, they point to a broader change in how we’re viewing the world. Here are the under the radar trends we’re watching closely this year.

Spanish is having a second wave

While other major global languages are seeing a cooling period, Spanish is bucking the trend in a big way. Its share of learners jumped from 3.4% to 5.5% in 2025, with student volume growing by 49.0%. This stands in sharp contrast to English, German, and French, which all saw dips this year. It seems that for many, Spanish has moved from a nice-to-have to a strategic choice for both work and life.

Staying steady in Europe

Despite a general shift away from European languages, specific markets showed resilience. Italian enrollment actually grew by 2.8%, defying the retreating trend from other Romance languages. Meanwhile, Polish continued its steady climb with 7.9% growth. The appeal of these languages remains as solid as ever.

A pivot towards Asia

We’re seeing a clear shift in focus across the Asian market. As Vietnamese demand increased 140% and Hindi increased by 14.3%, other regional staples were declining. Hebrew saw the most dramatic drop at – 80%, while Arabic and Portuguese also saw retreats. It’s a sign that in 2025 learners were becoming more targeted, choosing languages that offer a direct competitive edge in the global economy.

Language trends in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Japan

From local economic shifts to cultural obsessions, here is how the language trends of Berlitz students are tracking across the regions.

United States

Our data shows demand for language learning in the US is growing. 2025 saw a huge rebound in interest, with nearly every major language posting double-digit gains. While English still holds the top spot with 32.2% of the market, German and Spanish are neck-and-neck, following surges of 65.4% and 56.4% respectively. According to Statista, Spanish is spoken by nearly 45 million people in the US, making it a massive part of the country’s cultural and economic fabric.

While traditional European staples were dropping in demand globally, American learners were doubling down on them. Even French and Italian, languages that are struggling to hold ground in other regions, defied the global trend this year with healthy jumps of 39.6% and 50.6%. This renewed interest in the continent suggests that for Americans, these ‘classic’ choices still offer significant professional and personal value.

Latin America

In Latin America, English is still leading in popularity, but the local appetite for learning is finally starting to branch out. While English holds a massive 88.1% of the market, that must-have urgency is cooling off slightly, with student numbers dipping by 14.5% this year. It looks like learners are moving away from the standard professional default to find languages that offer a more specific cultural spark or a unique competitive edge.

One of the biggest surprises is the ‘European Renaissance’ happening in LATAM, even as those same languages lose steam elsewhere. In a complete flip of the global script, interest in French has surged by over 300%, while Italian followed with a 260% increase. While both languages still represent a relatively small share of total enrollments, the spike suggests a growing curiosity among learners looking beyond the traditional language choices. Spanish is also having a strong home-grown moment within the region, with enrollment more than doubling to reach a 6.9% market share. Even German is holding strong with a 25.7% climb, proving that the pull of European career hubs is still a massive magnet for Latin American students and professionals.

Portuguese has taken a surprising hit, with student numbers dropping by nearly 43%. It all points to a region that is diversifying, as learners trade a one-size-fits-all English approach for a broader toolkit.

Even the smallest languages are starting to make noise. Korean still represents just 0.1% of enrollments in Latin America, but the trajectory tells a much bigger story. Interest in Korean is climbing steadily, signaling a cultural shift that goes beyond traditional business motivations. From K-pop and Korean cinema to the global rise of Korean brands and technology companies, learners across the region are becoming increasingly curious about the language behind the cultural wave. While it remains a niche choice for now, Korean is clearly gaining momentum, suggesting that Latin American learners are paying closer attention to emerging cultural and economic powerhouses in Asia.

Europe

While English still occupies the top spot in Europe, its long-standing grip is starting to loosen; it now represents 46.5% of our students learning online with an instructor in the region, a significant slide from its 54.6% share just a few years ago.

In a surprising twist, Spanish is proving to be a regional powerhouse. While it has struggled in other parts of the world, Spanish in Europe is a major standout, with student volume growing by 7.3%. This surge suggests European learners are doubling down on regional favorites even as the rest of the world looks elsewhere.

Other European languages are showing similar resilience, likely fueled by a focus on cross-border careers and local migration. Polish student numbers rose by 8.2%, and despite a minor dip in total volume, Dutch managed to grow its market share by 18.3%. It’s an indication that for many Europeans, the most valuable opportunities are still found close to home.

The most striking way Europe differs from the rest of the world is its relationship with East Asian languages. Globally, Japanese is increasing in popularity, but the Europeans are moving in the opposite direction - Japanese student numbers in the region fell by 31.0%. Mandarin saw a similarly sharp decline of over 44%. While the global spotlight shifts towards East Asia, European learners seem increasingly focused on internal mobility and the strength of neighboring markets like Poland and Spain.

Japan

In Japan, the language scene is being rewritten as learners trade default choices for personal passion and regional ROI. While English remains the heavy hitter, claiming 81.6% of students learning online with an instructor, it isn’t immune to the cooling trend we’re seeing globally. With a 7.6% dip in volume, the "must-have" urgency of English is starting to level off.

The year's most jaw-dropping headline is the unprecedented surge in Japanese itself. We’ve seen a 303% explosion in students mastering the local tongue, catapulting its market share from 0.8% to 3.3%. This shift reconfirms Japan as a top-tier destination for tech careers and deep cultural immersion.

German stands out as a uniquely resilient European choice, posting a 5.8% increase in volume while other traditional staples struggle to stay relevant.

French student numbers in Japan plummeted by 43.5%, while Italian saw a 36.4% decrease. Even Korean and Mandarin are experiencing a slump, with volumes sliding by 32.5% and 11.9% respectively.

The takeaway? Learners in Japan are becoming more intentional, choosing languages that offer the best economic and cultural edge.

Predictions for 2026: What’s next in language learning?

As we move into 2026, the reasons we learn and the way we study are undergoing a shift. Here is what we see on the horizon.

High-tech, high-touch hybrid learning

The AI vs Human debate is officially over, and the winner is… a partnership. In 2026, we’re seeing the further rise of hybrid learning, where AI handles the heavy lifting, like instant grammar and pronunciation corrections and vocabulary drills, so that time with a human instructor can be spent on practicing real conversation. Learners are using AI features for practice sessions on their commute, but they’re returning to human-led classes for the emotional intelligence, personalized encouragement, and real-world nuance that only an instructor can provide.

The rise of the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) edge

In 2026, being able to simply speak another language is the baseline. The real competitive advantage is Cultural Intelligence. Employers are increasingly looking for people who don't just speak the language, but who understand the unwritten rules, like how to give feedback in Germany or how to build trust in a Japanese boardroom. We expect learners to move away from pure vocabulary and toward cultural coaching, where the goal is to navigate the subtle cultural rhythms that AI simply can't emulate.

Micro-mastery to reach fluency

Rather than viewing fluency as a distant goal, learners are reaching it through hyper-focused sprints, like Medical Spanish or Business Business that provide immediate professional value. This allows students and professionals to be effective in their specific field from day one while they continue to build total fluency.

Working hand in hand

The future isn’t AI versus teachers. It’s AI handling repetitive practice while human instructors focus on conversation, cultural nuance, and real-world communication.

Jon Hritz, Berlitz Director of Global Product

Key takeaways and strategic insights

The data shows that 2025 is the year of the intentional learner. While English remains the global foundation, students are increasingly diversifying their skills to gain a cultural or economic edge. As we look toward 2026, the focus is shifting from generic study to targeted, high-impact mastery.

For businesses: Move beyond standard language perks and prioritize contextual fluency, focusing on the specific regional languages and cultural intelligence (CQ) your teams need to successfully navigate high-growth markets.

For educators: Embrace a high-tech high-touch model by using AI to automate repetitive exercises, freeing up valuable instructor time for the complex, nuanced human conversations that AI cannot replicate.

For learners: Consider micro-mastery sprints to reach fluency. Focus on industry-specific modules that provide immediate professional return on investment while building toward long-term language goals.

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If you’re a researcher, student, journalist, or business leader interested in the future of language learning, feel free to cite this study. Contact us for further insights, expert commentary, or media inquiries.