At A-level, the number of entries for Spanish overtook the entries for French in 2019 and has remained higher ever since.
The number of GCSE entries for other modern foreign languages, such as Arabic, Polish or Mandarin, has also remained relatively stable since 2015, with 35,000 total entries last year.
Vicky Gough, schools adviser for the British Council, said it was important to “reverse this trend” for the languages experiencing a decline in popularity.
“We’re noticing children from less privileged backgrounds, especially boys, show reluctance in pursuing languages, partly due to the perceived difficulty, and partly as they and their parents don’t see the value,” she said.
“Languages like German are crucial for future careers, especially considering Germany’s role as a major trading partner to the UK.”
She said work was also under way to boost the number of qualifications achieved by the one-in-10 children in the UK already speaking another language at home, including through a partnership with the Polish embassy.
A DfE spokesperson said the study of modern foreign languages had been in decline before the Conservatives took office in 2010, and said nearly 45% of pupils at GCSE level now study a foreign language.
