Spanish is enjoying a remarkable rise in international popularity. For generations of young Spaniards, travelling abroad to truly master another language was almost a rite of passage. Today, that journey increasingly works both ways: foreigners are coming to Spain to learn Spanish, while demand for Spanish-language education is also growing beyond the country’s borders.
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
24 Million People Are Learning Spanish
Spain itself has become one of the leading international destinations for language tourism.
Spanish is also gaining ground within European education. According to the Eurostat figures cited in the original report, it is now the second most widely studied foreign language at secondary-school level in the EU, at 27 per cent – ahead of both German and French.
Several factors are driving that growth, including the importance of Spanish in the United States, closer economic and cultural ties with Latin America and Spain’s increasingly international profile.
For many students, Spanish is no longer simply a useful language for holidays. It is increasingly regarded as an asset for university, employment and an international career.
Italians and Germans Lead the Way
The figures from Spain’s language schools illustrate the scale of the trend.
In 2025, schools affiliated with FEDELE recorded more than 162,000 Spanish-language students – the highest number on record and 42.5 per cent more than a decade earlier.
Almost 80 per cent came from Europe. Italians represented the largest group, at 16.06 per cent, closely followed by Germans at 14.59 per cent. Americans accounted for 7.78 per cent.
Schools are also reporting growing interest from further afield, including China, Australia and Singapore, while students continue to arrive from Japan and African countries.
Young People Want Immersion, Not Just Vocabulary
Teenagers aged 12 to 18 are an important part of the market.
Some spend between one and four weeks in Spain, combining lessons with cultural activities. Others stay for several months or even an entire academic year, living with a Spanish host family and attending a local school.
The attraction is obvious: Spanish does not end when the lesson finishes. It continues over breakfast, at the supermarket, on the football pitch, with friends and around the family dinner table.
Nor is language tourism limited to teenagers. Young adults, professionals and older students are increasingly taking part, with courses now frequently combining language tuition with culture, sport and travel.
British Families Are Also Looking Towards Spanish Education
The changing status of Spanish can also be seen outside Spain.
The Instituto Español Vicente Cañada Blanch in London has traditionally had close links to the Spanish community. Today, Spanish-language education is also attracting interest from families who want their children to experience a more intensive bilingual or Spanish-speaking environment, rather than simply taking a few language lessons each week.
The broader appetite for Spanish can also be seen in language academies, bilingual programmes and educational initiatives both in Spain and abroad.
For some parents, Spanish is becoming more than a foreign-language subject. It is increasingly viewed as a language of education and future opportunity.
A Growing Market for Spain
The trend also has economic benefits.
Language students frequently stay for several weeks or months and are not tied to the traditional summer holiday season.
According to FEDELE, its affiliated centres generated around €71 million in economic activity in 2025 and supported more than 2,500 direct jobs.
That makes language tourism particularly interesting for destinations such as Salamanca, Granada, Málaga, Seville and Madrid, where visitors can combine formal study with history, culture and everyday Spanish life.
A few decades ago, Spanish parents dreamed of sending their children to Britain or Ireland and having them return home speaking fluent English.
Today, families from across Europe and further afield are sending their children to Spain with much the same ambition.
Spanish is no longer being learnt simply because Spain is a popular holiday destination. Increasingly, the language itself is becoming a reason to come.
