The line graph compares students in terms of second foreign languages they learnt – namely French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, German, and other unspecified languages between 2006 and 2014.

Overall, French, Spanish, Chinese, and ‘other’ languages gained popularity as second languages, while Japanese and German fell out of favor throughout the time. Of particular note is French, which was the most famous second language among students, despite fluctuations.

Focusing on bigger increases first, the proportion of students learning Spanish stood at just above 20%, and this was followed by a significant growth, reaching its peak at around 26% in 2011. The figure then declined notably to about 23% in the last year. Similarly, Chinese also became more popular. Starting with just 4%, the percentage of students who learn this language increased significantly to just below 15%, overtaking German and other unspecific languages towards at the end of the timeframe.

The figures for French and ‘other’ language learners witnessed smaller changes. The percentage of students who learn French accounted for around 29%, after which it fluctuated over the period, increasing to just above 30% in 2014. The figures for other unspecific languages mirrored almost exactly the fluctuating trend, albeit at lower rates (starting at 7% and ending at 9%).

In contrast, Japanese and German lost their popularity among students as a second language. Initially about 26% of students used to learn Japanese, but the figures saw a dramatic drop to 17% in 2014. The proportion of students learning German was 14%, and this was followed by fluctuations, dropping significantly to 7% by the end of the period.