Malta ELT Student Numbers Fall 6% in 2025
Apr 29, 2026
Category: International Students Malta News
Malta’s English language teaching sector took in 76,063 international students in 2025, a 6% drop from the 80,946 recorded the previous year. The sector still delivered 262,255 student weeks, its second-highest total on record and above pre-pandemic levels.
The data comes from Malta’s National Statistics Office, which analysed returns from all 34 licensed schools on the island. Information was collected by the ELT Council between January and April 2026.
Average stays rose to 3.4 weeks per student, up from 3.2 weeks in 2024. The fall in headcount alongside the rise in weeks points to a sector leaning more on longer courses than on short summer trips.
EU markets lead decline
Italy stayed top of the source market table despite shedding 13.2% of its students. The country sent 17,526 learners, down from 20,182 a year earlier.
Germany slipped slightly to 8,075 students. France followed with 7,886, a 5.4% drop.
Poland held steady at 5,750. Austria was one of the few EU markets to grow, lifting numbers by 4.6% to 5,603.
Spain recorded the sharpest fall. Spanish enrolments dropped 45% to 2,442.
Total EU student numbers slid from 59,822 to 54,633. EU travellers still made up 71.8% of all learners.
Non-EU growth softens blow
Latin America, Asia and parts of Europe outside the EU kept Malta’s figures from falling further. Brazil sent 5,215 students, Colombia 2,703, Switzerland 1,990, Türkiye 1,872 and China 562.
Total non-EU numbers nudged up from 21,124 to 21,430. These students tend to stay longer, which explains the rise in aggregate weeks.
Colombia topped the student weeks ranking with 32,789, down 10.3% year on year. Italian learners generated 29,727 weeks, Brazilians 29,509 (up 15.1%) and the French 22,545 (up 7.9%).
Colombian students recorded the longest average stay at 12.1 weeks. Chileans averaged 11.9 weeks and South Koreans 8.6.
Older learners buck trend
Every main age bracket shrank in 2025, apart from one. Students aged 50 and over grew by 8.3% to 7,836.
The 15-and-under group remained the biggest cohort at 29.2% of all students. Teenagers aged 16 to 17 accounted for 20.9%, with 18 to 25-year-olds making up 17.8%. Women made up 63.2% of the student population.
General English dominates choices
Most learners still pick standard courses. General English accounted for 72.9% of enrolments, with 55,432 students signing up.
Intensive English courses took 19.2% of the market. English for Specific Purposes trailed at 1.5%.
July was the busiest month at 16.5% of annual attendance. August followed on 15.8% and March on 9.6%.
Hostels overtake host families
Accommodation patterns shifted. Hostels, residences and guesthouses proved the most popular option, chosen by 23,356 students or 30.7% of the total.
Host families took 18.6% and hotels 16.6%. Roughly a quarter of students arranged their own accommodation outside the school system, down from 28.8% in 2024.
Schools employed 712 teaching and academic staff. Women made up 67.7% of teachers, and the 18 to 24 age group accounted for 24.4% of the teaching workforce. Non-teaching staff totalled 664, with 70.5% working full-time.
Border tech looms next
The 2025 figures predate the full rollout of two major EU border systems. The Entry/Exit System (EES) became fully operational on 10 April 2026, and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will begin in the final quarter of 2026.
EU nationals sit outside the scope of both systems, so neither can be blamed for the 2025 contraction. The new rules will bite instead on the non-EU learners who are currently propping up Malta’s weeks total.
Students from Colombia, Brazil, Türkiye, Switzerland, China and South Korea will face biometric registration on every entry and exit under EES. Most of these nationalities also fall within the 59 visa-exempt countries that will need an ETIAS authorisation from late 2026.
Long stays push against limits
Non-EU average stays already sit close to the 90-day ceiling that governs both EES short-stay rules and ETIAS. Colombian learners at 12.1 weeks average roughly 85 days, leaving little slack before a national study visa becomes necessary.
That pressure could push some students towards formal study-visa routes through Maltese consulates rather than short-stay travel authorisation.
The EES exemption for learners on formal study, research or exchange programmes does not generally cover short ELT course participants, who usually travel as tourists.
Summer pinch points loom
Seasonal demand could test Malta’s borders. July and August together produced 32.3% of 2025 students, and biometric enrolment on first EES entry runs slower than old-style passport stamping.
Queues at Malta International Airport may lengthen during the first peak season under the fully active system.
Agents and schools will need to brief non-EU students, particularly older learners unfamiliar with online applications, about the €20 ETIAS fee and processing windows that can stretch to 30 days for applicants called to interview.
The three-year validity of an ETIAS authorisation, tied to the passport, could suit repeat adult learners who return for multiple short courses.