In 2025, foreign students attending English language courses at 34 local licensed English Language Teaching (ELT) schools amounted to 76,063, marking a drop of 4,883 over 2024, the NSO said Thursday.

The majority of students attending English language courses in Malta came from Italy (23.0 per cent), followed by Germany (10.6 per cent) and France (10.4 per cent). Overall, 71.8 per cent of total students originated from an EU country.

Foreign students enrolled in local licensed ELT schools accounted for 262,255, an increase of 5,387 weeks when compared to 2024. The absolute majority of courses (99.7 per cent of total student weeks) were held physically while online courses accounted for only 0.3 per cent. 

The average number of student weeks during the year under review stood at 3.4, an increase of 0.3 compared to previous year. With an average of 12.1 weeks, students from Colombia recorded the highest number of student weeks, followed by Chilean and South Korean students with average student weeks at 11.9 and 8.6 weeks respectively.

The largest share of language students was in the 15- and under age bracket, accounting for 29.2 per cent  of the total students following ELT courses, followed by the 16 and 17-year-old age group, which accounted for 20.9 per cent. Students aged 50 and over were in the minority and numbered 7,836. Female students outnumbered males and others, and accounted for 63.2 per cent of the entire ELT student population.

In 2025, teaching and academic staff in local licensed ELT schools numbered 712, with the largest proportion (24.4 per cent) being in 18-24 age group. Female teachers accounted for 67.7 per cent of the total. Non-teaching staff amounted to 664, of whom 70.5 per cent were employed on a full-time basis.