In 2021, 32% of people aged 16-74 in Malta said they had taken an online course or used e-learning material in the three months before they were surveyed, which is higher than the EU average, according to Eurostat statistics.

In 2019, the percentage of people in this age group who took an online course or used e-learning materials stood at 21%, according to statistics.

Business online course is a practical way to learn something new or deepen knowledge in a specific area, for example by improving language skills, broadening Professional qualifications or just learn something new for fun.

“During the pandemic, people have been encouraged to limit social contact and online courses therefore offer a safe alternative to education and training,” Eurostat said.

In 2021, 27% of people aged 16 to 74 in the EU said they had taken an online course or used e-learning materials in the last three months preceding the survey, a 4 percentage points (pp) increase from 23% in 2020.”

In 2021, of all EU Member States, Ireland had the highest share (46%) of people aged 16-74 taking an online course or using e-learning material. Finland and Sweden both recorded a share of 45%, followed by the Netherlands with 44%.

At the other end of the scale, taking online courses or using e-learning materials was not very common in Romania (10%), Bulgaria (12%) and Croatia (18%) .

Compared to 2019 before the pandemic, the share of people following online courses or using e-learning material increased in all Member States, except Romania where it decreased (-4 pp) to reach 10%. The Netherlands (+21 pp), followed by Luxembourg and Slovenia (+19 pp) and Greece (+18 pp) are among the biggest increases.

In the EU, young people aged 16-24 have opted for e-learning more than the average adult population. In 2021, 39% of young people said they took an online course and 49% used online learning materials, compared to 23% and 27% among adults aged 25 to 34, and 20% and 23% among adults aged 35 to 44 years old. continue their downward trend as age increases, reaching the lowest point among seniors (65-74), where 3% took an online course and 4% used learning materials in line.