The charts illustrate the proportions of British students at a university in England who could speak languages other than English in the years 2000 and 2010.
Overall, the data show that students became more multilingual over the ten-year period. The percentage of students who could not speak any additional language decreased, while the proportions of those speaking one or more foreign languages generally increased.
In 2000, Spanish was the most commonly spoken foreign language, accounting for about 30% of students. This was followed by French and another language, both at around 15%. Smaller proportions of students spoke German only or two other languages, each making up approximately 10%. Notably, about 20% of students were unable to speak any language besides English.
By 2010, Spanish had become even more popular, rising to roughly 35%. The percentage of students speaking another (unspecified) language also increased to about 20%, while those who could speak two other languages rose to around 15%. In contrast, the proportion of students speaking only French declined slightly to 10%, and German remained unchanged. The percentage of students with no additional language dropped significantly to just 10%.
From my own experience, this trend reflects the growing importance of foreign languages in education and global communication, especially in universities.