Dutch Pass Danes to Become World's Best English Speakers

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EF Education First

15 Nov, 2016, 13:30 IST

ZURICH, November 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Global survey of 950,000 adults across 72 countries and territories links English proficiency with income, innovation, and quality of life 

Adults in the Netherlands are the best non-native English speakers in the world, followed by those in Denmark and Sweden, according to the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) released today by EF Education First. Laos, Libya, and Iraq occupy the bottom of the rankings.

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"In a volatile global economy, English proficiency is one of the few skills with proven ability to generate opportunities and strengthen employability," said Minh N. Tran, EF Director of Research. "It takes a great deal of effort and investment to steer a country or company towards a future with an English-speaking workforce. The EF EPI addresses these challenges and prompts global discussions about the best practices of language education."

Highlights of the sixth edition of the EF EPI include:

  • For the first time, an Asian country, Singapore, is in the highest proficiency band. Malaysia and the Philippines are also in the top 15 countries worldwide.
  • English proficiency in Europe remains the strongest in the world by a wide margin, while countries in the Middle East and North Africa continue to occupy the lowest ranks.
  • Of all the regions surveyed, Latin America is the only region that experienced a decline in English proficiency in the past year.
  • Countries making the most progress in English proficiency include France, Qatar, and Singapore; countries with the steepest declines include Iraq, Japan, and Peru.
  • Young adults aged 18-25 have the strongest English proficiency worldwide, although some countries have markedly different national trends.
  • Women have stronger English skills than men in almost all countries and age groups.
  • English proficiency remains a key indicator of economic competitiveness at both the individual and national levels. Higher English proficiency correlates with higher incomes, better quality of life, greater connectivity, and more dynamic business environments.

A companion to the EF EPI, the EF EPI for Companies (EF EPI-c), was also released today. The EF EPI-c is an evaluation of global workforce English skills, surveying 510,000 professionals from 40 countries and 16 industries. The report finds that executives lag behind their employees in English skills, and that countries' workforce English scores correlate positively with indicators of global innovation, government transparency, and ease of doing business.

Millions of participants took part in this year's research by completing the EF Standard English Test (EFSET), the world's first free standardized English test. The EFSET was launched in order to serve the world's two billion English language learners, who previously lacked a free, high-quality self-assessment tool. The EFSET also provides schools, companies, and governments with convenient, large-scale testing solutions.

The full reports and country fact sheets are available for download at http://www.ef.com/epi.

About EF Education First: 

EF Education First (http://www.ef.com) is an international education company focusing on language, academics, education travel, and cultural experience. Established in 1965 with the mission of opening the world through education, EF has more than 500 schools and offices in over 50 countries.

EF English Proficiency Index Sixth Edition 

   
    Rank  Country                EF EPI Proficiency Band
    1     Netherlands            Very High
    2     Denmark                Very High
    3     Sweden                 Very High
    4     Norway                 Very High
    5     Finland                Very High
    6     Singapore              Very High
    7     Luxembourg             Very High
    8     Austria                High
    9     Germany                High
    10    Poland                 High
    11    Belgium                High
    12    Malaysia               High
    13    Philippines            High
    14    Switzerland            High
    15    Portugal               High
    16    Czech Republic         High
    17    Serbia                 High
    18    Hungary                High
    19    Argentina              High
    20    Romania                High
    21    Slovakia               Moderate
    22    India                  Moderate
    23    Dominican Republic     Moderate
    24    Bulgaria               Moderate
    25    Spain                  Moderate
    26    Bosnia and Herzegovina Moderate
    27    South Korea            Moderate
    28    Italy                  Moderate
    29    France                 Moderate
    30    Hong Kong              Moderate
    31    Vietnam                Moderate
    32    Indonesia              Moderate
    33    Taiwan                 Moderate
    34    Russia                 Low
    35    Japan                  Low
    36    Uruguay                Low
    37    Macau                  Low
    38    Costa Rica             Low
    39    China                  Low
    40    Brazil                 Low
    41    Ukraine                Low
    42    Chile                  Low
    43    Mexico                 Low
    44    Morocco                Low
    45    Peru                   Low
    46    United Arab Emirates   Low
    47    Ecuador                Low
    48    Pakistan               Low
    49    Colombia               Very Low
    50    Panama                 Very Low
    51    Turkey                 Very Low
    52    Tunisia                Very Low
    53    Guatemala              Very Low
    54    Kazakhstan             Very Low
    55    Egypt                  Very Low
    56    Thailand               Very Low
    57    Azerbaijan             Very Low
    58    Sri Lanka              Very Low
    59    Qatar                  Very Low
    60    Venezuela              Very Low
    61    Iran                   Very Low
    62    Jordan                 Very Low
    63    El Salvador            Very Low
    64    Oman                   Very Low
    65    Kuwait                 Very Low
    66    Mongolia               Very Low
    67    Algeria                Very Low
    68    Saudi Arabia           Very Low
    69    Cambodia               Very Low
    70    Laos                   Very Low
    71    Libya                  Very Low
    72    Iraq                   Very Low