The learning of foreign languages in schools is in "terminal decline", Scottish Labour has warned, after figures revealed a sharp drop in the number of students over the last four years.

Statistics show the number of pupils choosing to learn modern languages between National 4 and Higher level has fallen from 24,510 in 2019 to 23,990 in 2023.

The drop comes despite the overall S4 to S6 school roll rising by more than 10,500 pupils over the same period.

READ MORE: Ambassador raises alarm with FM over fall in pupils taking German

Scottish Labour said the fall is most evident at the Higher level as 6,735 pupils picked modern language Highers in 2019 but this dropped to 5,080 pupils in 2023.

Figures show the number of foreign language teachers in schools has also fallen from around 1,700 in 2008 to fewer than 1,400 in 2023.

The statistics emerged just weeks after Aberdeen University announced it was considering scrapping modern language degrees, citing a lack of students interested in taking the courses.

READ MORE: SQA results: Huge drop in pupils taking Higher languages and sciences

The university later said it would no longer offer single honours degrees in modern languages from September 2024 but would continue to offer joint honours degree programmes in languages.

Scottish Labour described the learning of foreign languages as a "vital skill" that helps young people to gain work in international fields.

The party believes what it termed as the government's "failed approach" to modern languages is holding back the people of Scotland and its economy.

READ MORE: SNP grassroots demand more language teaching provision in schools

Education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP said: "The chance to learn a foreign language is incredibly important but under the SNP the learning of modern languages is in terminal decline.

"We now face a situation where the number of pupils learning a foreign language is in freefall, the number of modern languages teachers is falling and universities are considering abandoning courses altogether.

"The young people of Scotland should not miss out on the enormous cultural, economic and personal benefits that learning languages can bring.

READ MORE: Scotland way behind Ireland in pupils learning languages

"SNP incompetence can no longer be allowed to stymie the potential of our young people."

The intervention from Labour comes after The Herald on Sunday last month revealed that the German Ambassador to the UK Miguel Berger was so concerned about the drop in the number of pupils taking German that he raised the matter with First Minister Humza Yousaf in a meeting in Bute House.

It also follows a series of reports in The Herald over the last 17 months examining the fall in the number of pupils taking French and German at Higher level in the past decade despite the numbers of pupils rising (58,094 pupils were on the Higher roll in 2013, compared to 64,231 this year).

A total of 4,239 pupils sat French Higher in 2013 with the number falling to 2280 this year, according to the Scottish Qualifications Authority's statistics. In 2013 a total of 1051 entered German Higher compared to 520 this year.

The figures also showed an increasing trend towards pupils taking Spanish, with 1,645 Higher entries in the subject in 2013 rising to 2605 this year (overtaking French).

The Herald also found that Scotland is considerably lagging behind the Republic of Ireland which has made language teaching a central part of its successful economic strategy with GDP growing by 12% in 2022, compared to 4% for the UK's.

According to Ireland's State Examinations Commission, the number of entries this year in Leaving Certificate (the country's main pre-university school qualification) in French, German and Spanish were 19,831, 7858 and 10,094.

Scotland and Ireland have similar sized pupil rolls, with the numbers of total candidates sitting Highers and Leaving Certificate exams across all curriculum subjects with 64,231 entering the former and 61,736 in the latter.

Earlier this year, SNP activists put down a draft motion to the party's annual conference calling for more support for languages in schools. However the resolution wasn't debated after members did not vote for it to be debated.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The Scottish Government has invested over £50 million since 2013 in the 1+2 languages learning policy, which sees every child learn additional languages starting in the first year of primary school.

"This cultural shift means that young people have awareness of foreign languages, culture and global issues from an earlier age than was the case in the past.

"When comparing to other parts of the UK, the proportion of French, German and Spanish entries to Highers was greater than the equivalent entries to A-levels and the pass rate among Scotland's students in languages is higher than for most other subjects.

"The recruitment of teachers is a matter for local authorities. As part of the Scottish Budget 24-25, the Scottish Government will continue to provide councils with £145.5 million over the coming year to protect teacher numbers and remove barriers to permanent employment of teachers."