The Congress ACI Arab Youth Pulse Survey 2025 revealed a dichotomy in the relevance of Arabic to the young people of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. The survey found that Arabic is the dominant language across all aspects of their lives, particularly in social and cultural contexts. But it also revealed that Arabic’s dominance is significantly less pronounced in education, work, online learning, and other digital contexts. In short, Arabic is not always the language of opportunity for MENA youth.
When MENA youth are asked where more investment in Arabic is needed, they specify technology and AI platforms, schools and universities, government and public services, and media and entertainment. When asked what would encourage them to use Arabic more often, they call out higher-quality Arabic education, more Arabic online content, and better Arabic interfaces.
MENA youth are not losing their connection with Arabic. They are asking Arabic to keep pace with their world. Policymakers and institutions responsible for protecting and enhancing the relevance of Arabic can help make it the language of opportunity for MENA youth by taking five actions:
Actions
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01
Connect Arabic education to real-world applications and professional use.
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02
Build shared Arabic language technology.
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03
Turn Arabic digital standards into measurable user outcomes.
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04
Help build modern Arabic content ecosystems and sustainable creative career pathways.
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05
Assign clear ownership, measure outcomes, and scale what works.
If the region’s policymakers, educators, and creative and digital producers act today to bolster Arabic’s use in the realms of AI, education, content and creative production, and digital interfaces, they can ensure that it will be the language of opportunity for MENA youth tomorrow.
Arabic is the language of family and heritage for the young people of the MENA region. It is a point of pride and holds deep personal meaning. However, they know that Arabic’s relevance as a language of opportunity is not as strong as it could be. Accordingly. MENA youth want their native language to become more present in the systems that are shaping their futures.
If the region’s policymakers, educators, and creative and digital producers act now to bolster Arabic’s use in the realms of AI, education, content and creative production, and digital interfaces, they can ensure that it will remain relevant in institutions, platforms, education systems, and technologies that are central to the digital economy. Arabic will thrive when it is as useful in the realms where MENA youth build their futures as it is in their family and social lives.
From roots to relevance
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