Global ELT sector struggling,
but Latin American markets strong
and hopes for year ahead
Latin America dominated as a source region for the global ELT sector as it declined overall in 2024, according to a new report, with most decreases in students and weeks for most destinations amid policy changes and economic challenges but some optimism for 2026 and beyond.
The Global ELT Annual Report 2025 by Bonard is based on data from eight major English language teaching destinations – Australia, Canada, Ireland, Malta, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK and the USA.
Global trends: The authors estimated that globally across all these destinations, there was a 10 per cent decrease in student weeks and a six per cent decline in student numbers in 2024. In comparison to the pre-pandemic year of 2019, the sector had a 75 per cent recovery rate of student weeks and 73 per cent of student volumes.
There were around one million students and 7.6 million student weeks delivered in the eight ELT destinations profiled, the authors estimated.
Stricter immigration policies in Australia, Canada and the UK dented demand, along with rising costs, and economic challenges and currency fluctuations in several key markets, with pressure also rising from emerging destinations, it was argued.
Student week trends 2019-2024. Source - Bonard.
“The data shows two dominant forces reshaping student mobility: visa barriers and affordability,” said Sarah Verkinova, Head of International Education at Bonard Education. “This has pushed many students to explore alternative destinations such as Dubai and the Philippines, which together attracted more than 100,000 ELT learners in 2024.”
Destinations: StudyTravel Magazine has reported individually on each of the ELT destinations during the year, with most registering decreases or static years in 2024.
Ireland was the only major ELT destination to exceed pre-pandemic levels of both student numbers and student weeks in 2024, while Malta surpassed 2019 student weeks and South Africa came close on both measures.
New Zealand had the highest year-on-year growth among the major destinations (44 per cent) as it continued its recovery as the last destination to fully reopen after Covid, but also has the lowest recovery rate at only 47 per cent of 2019 levels.
Source markets: Despite a 14 per cent decrease in student weeks compared with the previous year, Brazil was the top source market for the eight ELT destinations profiled, overtaking Colombia, which declined by 28 per cent after being particularly impacted by low visa approval rates for Australia in 2024.
China had the largest absolute growth in student weeks in 2024 (up 21 per cent) but has still only reached 43 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. The authors warned that a full recovery of the Chinese market to traditional ELT destinations is unlikely in the near future.
Source - Bonard
“2024 may serve as the new benchmark year for China, as further rapid growth is unlikely. The increasing availability of local ELT options in countries like Malaysia and the Philippines, along with rising competition from in-country providers, is reshaping student preferences toward more cost-effective and accessible destinations,” said Kristina Benedikova, an International Education Consultant at Bonard.
Colombia and Mexico were the only top 10 source countries that exceeded pre-pandemic volumes of student weeks in 2024.
Most Latin American markets have surpassed 2019 levels of student weeks sent to the eight ELT destinations, with the exception of Brazil. Ecuador has increased by around 400 per cent against 2019 weeks, while Peru has recorded growth of 200 per cent.
Other notable growth markets in 2024 were Nepal (+96 per cent), Kazakhstan (+26), Saudi Arabia (+six), Oman (+11) and the United Arab Emirates (+107), the authors said.
The top 10 source markets combined accounted for 63 per cent of student weeks at the eight ELT destinations profiled, up from 61 per cent in the previous year but below 67 per cent in 2019.
All major European source markets declined in 2024, the authors said, with the largest year-on-year decline from Spain at 18 per cent.
Commenting on the outlook for 2025, the authors said that stricter immigration rules, persistent affordability issues, and the rise of AI learning will continue to challenge traditional ELT destinations.
“2024 has brought a slowdown across major ELT destinations,” said Dr Ivana Bartosik, International Education Director at Bonard Education. “With growth unlikely in 2025, language educators must respond decisively - by diversifying into emerging markets, exploring new destinations, adapting to shifting demand, addressing visa barriers, and grounding every strategy in real-time market intelligence.”
During a special webinar to discuss the findings of the research and update on market trends in the current year, association representatives of English Australia , English Education Ireland , English UK , EnglishUSA and Languages Canada spoke of the resilience of members and the continuing focus on innovation and quality in programming.
While 2025 is likely to be a year of further declines, panellists expressed optimism for the year ahead.
ELT industry associations speaking about the findings of the Bonard report.
Ian Aird , Chief Executive of English Australia, said that negotiations with government over a more nuanced policy approach for the ELICOS sector could bear fruit in the year ahead, while Gonzalo Peralta of Language Canada shared similar sentiments that policy changes may have settled and that more constructive settings for language programmes could emerge.
Meanwhile, Huan Japes of English UK referred to the planned youth mobility deal with the EU and expansion of passport-free travel for junior groups to Germany and potentially other markets as measures that will boost the UK ELT sector.
CONTACT FORM
Find out how we can cater to your specific needs
We look forward to assisting you further and explaining how our services can benefit you.
