The Netherlands Has the Highest Levels of English Proficiency Worldwide 🇳🇱

What We're Showing

English proficiency scores by country (whose native language is not English) based on the Education First Standard English Test, which assesses reading and listening comprehension.

Scores are based on a three-year rolling average of results from over 2.1 million adults from 116 countries that do not have English who completed the EF Standard English Test in 2023.

Key Takeaways

• European countries made up all nine countries with English proficiency scores in the "Very High" category.
• African and Middle Eastern countries made up the bottom five countries, with Yemen scoring the lowest.
• Overall, the worldwide level of English proficiency has declined for the fourth year running, with 60% of countries in the index scoring lower this year than last.