According to the latest NSO statistics up to 76,063 foreign students attended English language courses in 2025, a drop of 4,883 students, or 6.0 per cent, compared to 2024.
Malta had a total of 34 licensed English Language Teaching (ELT) schools operating across the country in 2025.
The drop of 4,883 students compared to 2024 marks a reversal from the previous post-pandemic recovery. Despite this decline in student numbers, foreign students enrolled in local licensed ELT schools accounted for 262,255 student weeks, an increase of 5,387 weeks, or 2.1%, over 2024. The average number of student weeks stood at 3.4, up by 0.3 over the previous year.
The majority of students were young learners, with those aged 15 and under accounting for 29.2 per cent of total enrolments, followed by 16- and 17-year-olds at 20.9 per cent. Students aged 50 and over numbered 7,836, while female students accounted for 63.2 per cent of the entire ELT student population.
The dominance of “General English: Standard” courses, accounting for 55,432 students, or 72.9 per cent of all enrolments, further highlights that the industry is largely based on courses that are brief, enabling short and seasonal stays. “Intensive English” courses followed with 19.2 per cent of total students.
The sector remains heavily reliant on European markets, with 71.8 per cent of students coming from EU countries, led by Italy (23.0 per cent), Germany (10.6 per cent) and France (10.4 per cent).
Employment in the sector stood at 1,376 staff, of whom 712 were teaching and academic staff and 664 were non-teaching staff. Teaching and academic staff therefore accounted for 51.7 per cent of total staff.
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