Global survey of over two million adults reveals worldwide trends in English proficiency
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.
"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 Ranking Country or Region 1 Netherlands 2 Denmark 3 Finland 4 Sweden 5 Norway 6 Austria 7 Portugal 8 Germany 9 Belgium 10 Singapore 11 Luxembourg 12 South Africa 13 Croatia 14 Hungary 15 Serbia 16 Poland 17 Romania 18 Switzerland 19 Czech Republic 20 Bulgaria 21 Greece 22 Kenya 22 Slovakia 24 Lithuania 25 Argentina 25 Estonia 27 Philippines 28 France 29 Latvia 30 Italy 30 Malaysia 32 South Korea 33 Hong Kong, China 34 Nigeria 34 Spain 36 Costa Rica 37 Chile 38 China 39 Paraguay 40 Belarus 41 Cuba 41 Russia 43 Albania 44 Ukraine 45 Macau, China 46 Bolivia 47 Georgia 48 Dominican Republic 49 Honduras 50 India 51 Armenia 51 Uruguay 53 Brazil 54 Tunisia 55 Japan 56 El Salvador 56 Iran 56 Panama 59 Peru 60 Nepal 61 Pakistan 62 Ethiopia 63 Bangladesh 63 Guatemala 65 Vietnam 66 United Arab Emirates 67 Venezuela 68 Sri Lanka 69 Turkey 70 Kuwait 71 Qatar 72 Jordan 73 Nicaragua 74 Bahrain 74 Indonesia 74 Morocco 77 Colombia 78 Mongolia 79 Afghanistan 80 Angola 81 Algeria 82 Mexico 83 Egypt 84 Cambodia 85 Sudan 86 Azerbaijan 87 Syria 88 Uzbekistan 89 Cameroon 89 Thailand 91 Ivory Coast 92 Kazakhstan 93 Ecuador 93 Myanmar 95 Rwanda 96 Kyrgyzstan 97 Saudi Arabia 98 Oman 99 Iraq 100 Tajikistan
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Global survey of over two million adults reveals worldwide trends in English proficiency EF Education First released today the 2020 edition of itsEF 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. "While 2020 has been a challenging year, the circumstances have also highlighted the importance of clear communication