# language knowledge /eu — Europeans and Their Languages

> Interactive statistics and open data on native and foreign language skills in Europe based on the official European Commission Special Eurobarometer surveys (Special Eurobarometer 243 published in 2012, and Special Eurobarometer 386 published in 2024).

- **Website**: https://languageknowledge.eu
- **Author**: Jonathan Van Parys (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-van-parys/)
- **Data Source**: European Commission Special Eurobarometer ("Europeans and their languages" - fielding waves 2012 and 2023/2024)
- **Geographic Coverage**: European Union member states and applicant/former states (28 countries + EU aggregate average)
- **Languages Covered**: 50 languages spoken across Europe
- **Time Periods**: 2012 and 2024 editions

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## Core Definitions & Methodology

- **Native Speakers**: Respondents indicating the language is their mother tongue.
- **Foreign Speakers**: Respondents speaking the language as a foreign language whose self-assessed competence is **good** or **very good** (excluding basic/conversational-only beginners to reflect functional fluency).
- **Total Speakers**: Native speakers + Foreign speakers (good or very good).
- **Age Groups Analyzed**: 
  - `all` (population aged 15+)
  - `15-34` (younger generation)
  - `35-54` (middle generation)
  - `55+` (older generation)
  Generational trends reveal which languages are gaining or declining across Europe (e.g. dramatic rise of English proficiency among younger demographics).

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## Site Navigation & Data Endpoints

- **Homepage**: https://languageknowledge.eu/ (EU aggregate statistics, top 10 most spoken languages in the EU)
- **Countries Directory**: https://languageknowledge.eu/countries-list (All European countries with mini language breakdowns)
- **Languages Directory**: https://languageknowledge.eu/languages-list (All 50 European and world languages with top speaking countries)
- **About & Methodology**: https://languageknowledge.eu/about (Detailed survey methodology, sampling, and background)
- **Sitemap**: https://languageknowledge.eu/sitemap.xml (Comprehensive list of 800+ pages)

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## Direct URLs Pattern

- Country profiles: `https://languageknowledge.eu/countries/{country-slug}`
  - Example: `https://languageknowledge.eu/countries/germany`
  - Example: `https://languageknowledge.eu/countries/european-union`
- Language profiles: `https://languageknowledge.eu/languages/{language-slug}`
  - Example: `https://languageknowledge.eu/languages/english`
  - Example: `https://languageknowledge.eu/languages/german`
- Country-Language specific statistics: `https://languageknowledge.eu/countries/{country-slug}/languages/{language-slug}`
  - Example: `https://languageknowledge.eu/countries/france/languages/english`
  - Example: `https://languageknowledge.eu/countries/luxembourg/languages/french`