EF English Proficiency Index 2020 Ranking of Countries and Regions:

Europe on top of English Proficiency in EF’s Global Ranking

Global survey of over two million adults reveals worldwide trends in English proficiency 

THE EDTALK | ZURICH

EF Education First released today the 2020 edition of its EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), analyzing data from 2.2 million non-native English speakers in 100 countries and regions. This year, the Netherlands remains in first position while Denmark and Finland come in second and third.

The EF English Proficiency Index is an annual ranking of countries and regions by English skills.
Top 10 Countries in English Proficiency

“While 2020 has been a challenging year, the circumstances have also highlighted the importance of clear communication and cooperation across borders. English as a global lingua franca continues to bring people together, and the EF EPI contains valuable insights for policy makers to evaluate and strengthen their organizations’ and governments’ language learning capability,” said Dr. Christopher McCormick, EF Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The EF EPI is based on test scores from the EF Standard English Test (EF SET), the world’s first free standardized English test. The EF SET has been used worldwide by thousands of schools, companies, and governments for large-scale testing.

Key findings of the EF EPI 2020 include:

  • The network effect of English has never been stronger. The more people use English, the more useful it becomes for individuals, businesses, and countries to access resources and opportunities.
  • Although Europe’s English proficiency is consistently strong, 27 out of 33 countries improved their proficiency since last year. Russia has improved and returned to the Moderate proficiency band, after briefly dropping to the Low proficiency band last year.
  • Asia displays the largest gap between highest and lowest scorers of any region. China continues to improve but India has dropped from Moderate to Low proficiency.
  • Latin America’s upward trend continues despite Mexico’s significant decline.
  • Africa’s overall average has improved significantly, but the gap between high and low proficiency countries remains wide. Most countries on the continent still do not supply enough test data to be included in the index.
  • People aged 26 to 30 have the highest English proficiency worldwide, but adults over 40 score better than 18-20 year olds, underlining the role of universities and workplaces in developing English skills.
  • Government, education, and healthcare sectors scored at the bottom of the industry ranking. Competition in the private sector is driving companies to select for English proficiency and invest in developing English skills more aggressively, leaving the public sector underskilled by comparison.
  • For the first time, Armenia, Tajikistan, and Rwanda have sufficient data to be included in the index.

The scoring scale of the EF EPI has moved to 800 points this year to eliminate confusion with the previous scale which resembled a percentile. Alongside the new scale, a clarification of the conversion of EF EPI scores to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is included in the report.

The EF EPI report is available for download at http://www.ef.com/epi. The EF EPI 2020 ranking is below.

About EF Education First 

EF Education First is an international education company that focuses on language, travel, cultural exchange, and academics. Founded in 1965, EF’s mission is “opening the world through education.” EF is the Official Language Training Partner for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

EF English Proficiency Index 2020 Ranking of Countries and Regions:

EF EPI RankingCountry or Region
1Netherlands
2Denmark
3Finland
4Sweden
5Norway
6Austria
7Portugal
8Germany
9Belgium
10Singapore
11Luxembourg
12South Africa
13Croatia
14Hungary
15Serbia
16Poland
17Romania
18Switzerland
19Czech Republic
20Bulgaria
21Greece
22Kenya
22Slovakia
24Lithuania
25Argentina
25Estonia
27Philippines
28France
29Latvia
30Italy
30Malaysia
32South Korea
33Hong Kong, China
34Nigeria
34Spain
36Costa Rica
37Chile
38China
39Paraguay
40Belarus
41Cuba
41Russia
43Albania
44Ukraine
45Macau, China
46Bolivia
47Georgia
48Dominican Republic
49Honduras
50India
51Armenia
51Uruguay
53Brazil
54Tunisia
55Japan
56El Salvador
56Iran
56Panama
59Peru
60Nepal
61Pakistan
62Ethiopia
63Bangladesh
63Guatemala
65Vietnam
66United Arab Emirates
67Venezuela
68Sri Lanka
69Turkey
70Kuwait
71Qatar
72Jordan
73Nicaragua
74Bahrain
74Indonesia
74Morocco
77Colombia
78Mongolia
79Afghanistan
80Angola
81Algeria
82Mexico
83Egypt
84Cambodia
85Sudan
86Azerbaijan
87Syria
88Uzbekistan
89Cameroon
89Thailand
91Ivory Coast
92Kazakhstan
93Ecuador
93Myanmar
95Rwanda
96Kyrgyzstan
97Saudi Arabia
98Oman
99Iraq
100Tajikistan

News Disclaimer: This story is provided by PRNewswire. The EdTalk will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.

(Source: PRNewswire)


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