The Netherlands still has the world's best non-native English speakers, according to the EF English Proficiency Index ( EF EPI ) released today by EF Education First . This year's EF EPI results were first announced at a reception in the U.K.'s House of Commons.
The EF EPI 2017 ranks 80 countries and territories based on data from more than one million adults who took the EF Standard English Test (EF SET) , the world's first free standardized English test. The EF SET provides language learners access to a high-quality, standardized English test. The EF SET has been used worldwide by thousands of schools, companies, and governments, where large-scale testing was previously cost prohibitive.
Highlights of the EF EPI 2017 include:
- For the first time, Africa is included in the EF EPI as a distinct region with nine African countries represented. The region has the largest gender gap, with African women outperforming men and scoring above the global average.
- Europe leads the world in English proficiency, with eight European countries in the top 10. The Middle East occupies the lowest ranks.
- Asia has the world's second best proficiency, but the largest gap between individual country scores.
- Colombia, Guatemala, and Panama all improved enough to break out of the Very Low Proficiency band. Despite significant spending on education within Latin America, the region still performs below global averages.
- Worldwide, women speak English better than men, although the gap is narrower for some world regions than in previous editions of the EF EPI.
- English proficiency is linked to economic competitiveness, social development, and innovation. Countries with higher English proficiency tend to have higher average incomes, better quality of life, and greater investment in research and development.
The EF English Proficiency Index for Schools (EF EPI-s), a companion report to the EF EPI, was also released today. The EF EPI-s examines the acquisition of English skills by secondary and tertiary students from 26 countries.
The EF EPI and EF EPI-s reports and country fact sheets are available for download at http://www.ef.com/epi . The full EF EPI 2017 ranking is below.
About EF Education First
EF Education First is an international education company that focuses on language, academics, and cultural experience. Founded in 1965, EF's mission is "opening the world through education." EF has more than 500 schools and offices in over 50 countries.
EF English Proficiency Index 2017:
Rank Country EF EPI Proficiency Band
1 Netherlands Very High
2 Sweden Very High
3 Denmark Very High
4 Norway Very High
5 Singapore Very High
6 Finland Very High
7 Luxembourg Very High
8 South Africa Very High
9 Germany High
10 Austria High
11 Poland High
12 Belgium High
13 Malaysia High
14 Switzerland High
15 Philippines High
16 Serbia High
17 Romania High
18 Portugal High
19 Hungary High
20 Czech Republic High
21 Slovakia High
22 Bulgaria Moderate
23 Greece Moderate
24 Lithuania Moderate
25 Argentina Moderate
26 Dominican Republic Moderate
27 India Moderate
28 Spain Moderate
29 Hong Kong Moderate
30 South Korea Moderate
31 Nigeria Moderate
32 France Moderate
33 Italy Moderate
34 Vietnam Moderate
35 Costa Rica Moderate
36 China Low
37 Japan Low
38 Russia Low
39 Indonesia Low
40 Taiwan Low
41 Brazil Low
42 Macau Low
43 Uruguay Low
44 Mexico Low
45 Chile Low
46 Bangladesh Low
47 Ukraine Low
48 Cuba Low
49 Panama Low
50 Peru Low
51 Colombia Low
52 Pakistan Low
53 Thailand Low
54 Guatemala Low
55 Ecuador Low
56 Tunisia Low
57 United Arab Emirates Low
58 Syria Very Low
59 Qatar Very Low
60 Morocco Very Low
61 Sri Lanka Very Low
62 Turkey Very Low
63 Jordan Very Low
64 Azerbaijan Very Low
65 Iran Very Low
66 Egypt Very Low
67 Kazakhstan Very Low
68 Venezuela Very Low
69 El Salvador Very Low
70 Oman Very Low
71 Mongolia Very Low
72 Saudi Arabia Very Low
73 Angola Very Low
74 Kuwait Very Low
75 Cameroon Very Low
76 Algeria Very Low
77 Cambodia Very Low
78 Libya Very Low
79 Iraq Very Low
80 Laos Very Low
Source: EF Education First (EF)
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