Across the MENA region, Arabic remains strongly present in the daily lives of youth and an integral part of their identity. However, according to research from Strategy& and Ipsos many young people see English as essential to building their future, highlighting a gap between Arabic’s cultural importance and its practical role in work.

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Unveiled at the 2026 Congress of Arabic & Creative Industries this week, the report finds that Arabic dominates at home for MENA youth, but the balance shifts where they study and work: 91% use Arabic at home, falling to 64% at work, university or school and 60% in online learning, as English rises from 7% to 33% and 36% respectively.

At the same time, 77% say English is essential to achieving their goals. The report draws on the views of more than 4,000 people aged 18–25 across 10 MENA countries.

The authors highlight that the current generation is not turning away from Arabic. Almost three-quarters, 74%, want Arabic to evolve to better reflect how they learn, create and work, while 76% say the language connects them to their roots. Instead, they point to a challenge of utility: ensuring Arabic remains relevant not only to young people’s identity, but to their ambitions and opportunities.

“Young people are not turning away from Arabic; rather, they aspire for its tools and its presence to keep pace with the rhythm of their lives, and for Arabic to be present in every field in which they learn, work, create and shape their future,” said Ali Bin Tamim, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre.

“It is our responsibility to ensure that this deep connection with the Arabic language is matched by opportunity, by strengthening its presence in education, technology, knowledge production and the creative industries. Arabic has always been a language of knowledge and creativity, and by listening to this generation and responding to its aspirations, we can ensure that Arabic continues to have a meaningful place in their future, while empowering them to contribute to shaping it with confidence.”

AI a priority area for Arabic

Half of young people surveyed identify technology and AI as the leading priority for greater investment in Arabic, ahead of schools and universities at 42%, government and public services at 39%, and media and entertainment at 32%.

The report also points to gaps in Arabic-language AI, noting that many large language models underperform in non-English and low-resource language contexts and are often insufficiently attuned to cultural context. It calls for shared Arabic language technology infrastructure, including high-quality datasets, language models, speech-recognition tools, and translation resources that can be used across sectors and dialects.

An ambitious generation

Youths in the MENA region are ambitious about their future while remaining strongly connected to their heritage. Some 81% believe they have the power to shape their own future, while 77% say balancing tradition and modernity is important in their career choices.

That ambition sits alongside a strong attachment to Arabic and concern about its future. More than three-quarters, 76%, say Arabic connects them to their roots, while 70% are concerned about losing traditions and values and 66% about the declining use of Arabic.

Young people also want the language they value culturally to feel contemporary. While 77% feel proud when they see Arabic used in modern contexts, 67% say the Arabic content they find feels dated compared with English.

“Young people across the region are ambitious about their future without wanting to leave their heritage behind. Arabic remains an important part of who they are,” said Nay Abi Ramia, Partner at Strategy&. “The opportunity now is to ensure the language has a meaningful place in the technologies they use, the content they consume and create, and the education and career pathways they pursue.”

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Five recommendations

To make Arabic more usable in the environments shaping young people’s futures, the report sets out five actions: connecting Arabic education to real-world applications and professional use; building shared Arabic language technology; turning Arabic digital standards into measurable user outcomes; helping build modern Arabic content ecosystems and sustainable creative career pathways; and assigning clear ownership, measuring outcomes, and scaling what works.

In education, the report recommends giving learners more opportunities to use Arabic in areas such as AI, STEM, entrepreneurship, media production, and the workplace. In technology, it calls for shared infrastructure, including high-quality datasets, language models, speech-recognition tools and translation resources that can improve the quality and accessibility of Arabic-language digital tools across sectors and dialects.

Importantly, greater investment alone will not close the gap. Initiatives should be measured against whether they lead to greater use of Arabic and better experiences for Arabic users, allowing successful approaches to be identified and scaled. “This means setting clear measures from the outset, identifying what works, and scaling the initiatives that demonstrate meaningful impact,” said Abi Ramia.

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