EU: language skills of the foreign-born population in host countries| ��ƽ��

Distribution of language proficiencies among the foreign-born population in the host country in the European Union (EU) in 2021

Characteristic	Share of foreign-born population
Mother tongue*	19.9%
Proficient	32.9%
Intermediate	18.6%
Basic	10.2%
None	3.7%
No response	12.8%

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Release date

September 2022

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Region

Survey time period

2021

Number of respondents

44,045 respondents

Age group

15-74 years

Special properties

Figure 3

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

Percentage points missing/exceeding 100 percent are probably due to rounding.

* The term "mother tongue" refers to the first language a person learned at home during early childhood, which they still understand at the time of the survey. Individuals raised in bilingual or multilingual households may identify more than one mother tongue. Language proficiency is grouped into three categories: proficient, moderate, and basic. These match the advanced, intermediate, and beginner levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

In multilingual nations such as Belgium, the host country’s language is defined by the official language of the region where a respondent lives. In Luxembourg, all three official languages, Luxembourgish, German, and French, are treated as main national languages, and respondents are asked about each one separately.

Citation formats

According to a labor force survey in the European Union in 2021, roughly 33 percent of the foreign-born population reported being proficient in their host country's language. Another 18.6 percent reported being intermediate in the particular language, compared to 10.2 percent who had a basic understanding of the host country's language.