English most studied foreign language in EU

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - The most popular foreign language to be studied in the EU was English, the bloc's statistical office data showed on Wednesday.

According to Eurostat, nearly 98% of pupils learned English in lower secondary education in 2017.

"English was followed by French 33.4%, German 23.3% and Spanish 16.9%," Eurostat said.

The statement said languages other than English were also commonly studied, adding that more than 50% studied French in lower secondary in Ireland, Italy, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Portugal and Romania.

"German was studied by more than a half of pupils in Denmark and Poland, while Spanish was taken by slightly more than half of pupils in this education level in France," the statement said.

Eurostat noted that almost all pupils in lower secondary education learned two or more foreign languages.