So people aren’t bothering to learn while manufacturers refuse to make them?
Automatics still sold in the past, though, in spite of relative fuel efficiency; but they are still in the minority in Europe (80% stick/20% automatic). I suspect too much market manipulation.
One of my coworkers was going to do some traveling in Spain, and for her to rent a car with an automatic was going to cost something like $500 more than a manual. I spent an hour or so one evening teaching her how to drive our 5-speed Nissan Sentra. She still wasn’t all that good with a clutch (takes practice), but she had the basics down.
Manufacturers (smart ones, at least) make what they think they can sell. In North America, the market has pretty clearly turned against manual trannies. (I've had two manual cars; I like them except in stop-and-go traffic. But I'm in the minority.)
Ask a car salesman sometime what he thinks of manual transmission cars (or light trucks). They hate them because they're so hard to sell.