The article is devoted to the distinction and characterization of the leading trends in the development of language education in Ukraine in the late XX – early XXI centuries, which include: strengthening the authority of the Ukrainian language, its dissemination in all spheres of public life; increasing attention to foreign languages; a gradual transition to linguistic diversity and multilingualism; paying special attention to the study of the Ukrainian language as a foreign language; launching a certification process for the level of knowledge in Ukrainian and foreign languages; constant updating of the purpose, tasks, content, forms, methods and means of language education.