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Top Countries by Their Second-Language English Proficiency
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This graphic ranks the top 25 countries according to their English proficiency. Data is sourced from the EF English Proficiency Index, which aggregated the test results of 2.2 million adults accross 113 countries.
Countries where English is the primary natively spoken language—the UK, U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—are not included in this ranking. Ranks are determined by each country’s average score in the EF Standard English Test (EF SET).
English is Europe’s New Lingua Franca
English proficiency is measured in bands with the following scores:
Very high proficiency: 600+
High proficiency: 550-599
Moderate proficiency: 500-549
Low proficiency: 450-499
Very low proficiency: <450
From the data, the Netherlands has the highest English proficiency with an average score of 647.
RankCountryClassificationAverage Test Score
1 NetherlandsVery high proficiency647
2 SingaporeVery high proficiency631
3 AustriaVery high proficiency616
4 DenmarkVery high proficiency615
5 NorwayVery high proficiency614
6 SwedenVery high proficiency609
7 BelgiumVery high proficiency608
8 PortugalVery high proficiency607
9 South AfricaVery high proficiency605
10 GermanyVery high proficiency604
11 CroatiaVery high proficiency603
12 GreeceVery high proficiency602
13 PolandHigh proficiency598
14 FinlandHigh proficiency597
15 RomaniaHigh proficiency596
16 BulgariaHigh proficiency589
17 HungaryHigh proficiency588
18 SlovakiaHigh proficiency587
19 KenyaHigh proficiency584
20 PhilippinesHigh proficiency568
21 LithuaniaHigh proficiency576
22 LuxembourgHigh proficiency575
23 EstoniaHigh proficiency570
24 SerbiaHigh proficiency569
25 MalaysiaHigh proficiency568
Eleven other countries join the Netherlands in the “very high proficiency” category, all with average test scores above 600. Singapore and South Africa are the only non-European countries in the top 10.
Regionally, Europe has improved its English the most (+50 points) since 2011. Latin America (+42) and the Middle East (+36) rank and second and third respectively.
On a global scale, English proficiency has been falling among those aged 18-20 years. This cohort scored on average 537 points (moderate proficiency) in 2015. By 2023, the average score fell for the same group fell to 448 points, or very low proficiency.
No significant decline has been measured across older age groups.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
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The post Ranked: Top Countries by Their Second-Language English Proficiency appeared first on Visual Capitalist.