Sweden Returns to Top Spot in World Ranking of English Proficiency Reveals EF's Annual Proficiency Index

ZURICH,Oct. 30,2018 --

EF's survey of 1.3 million adultshighlights globaltrends in English proficiency

EF Education First released its annual global ranking of English proficiency today,drawing on data from 1.3 million non-native English speakers in 88 countries and regions. For the fourth time in eight years,Sweden tops the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI),bumping last year's top-scorer,the Netherlands,to second place.

"Our EF EPI research shows that countries and individuals continue to invest in English education,recognizing the importance of the language as a lever for competitiveness," said Dr. Minh N. Tran,EF's Senior Director of Research. "Since EF started publishing this ranking,it has become the de facto reference point for governments,companies,and educators when they discuss English skills."

Key findings of this year's EF EPI include:

Europe remains the global leader in English proficiency. Eight of the top 10 spots in the ranking are held by European countries.

Africa shows stronger gains in English proficiency than any other region,with Algeria,Egypt,and South Africa improving by two or more points.

For the first time ever,an Asian nation enters the top three slots,with Singapore ranking third. However,Asia continues to possess a large regional divide between the highest and lowest proficiency countries.

Latin America is the only region to show a slight overall decline in English proficiency. Scores in the region remain more uniform than anywhere else,with only a small gap between the lowest and highest proficiency countries.

Women continue to outpace men in English skills worldwide,and this gender gap has been widening since 2016.

New correlations indicate that societies with higher English proficiency are more egalitarian. Among other metrics,these countries enroll more girls in preschool and report a greater proportion of women with bank accounts.

The EF EPI is based on test scores from the EF Standard English Test (EF SET),the world's first free standardized English test. Thousands of schools,and governments worldwide use the EF SET for large-scale testing.

The EF EPI 2018 report and regional fact sheets are available for download at http://www.ef.com/epi. The EF EPI 2018 ranking is below.

About EF Education First

EF Education First is a global education company focusing on language,academic,cultural exchange,and educational travel programs. With a mission to open the world through education,EF was founded in 1965 and has 580 schools and offices in more than 50 countries.

EF English Proficiency Index 2018 Ranking of Countries and Regions:

EF EPI Proficiency

Rank Country or Region Band

1 Sweden Very High

2 Netherlands Very High

3 Singapore Very High

4 Norway Very High

5 Denmark Very High

6 South Africa Very High

7 Luxembourg Very High

8 Finland Very High

9 Slovenia Very High

10 Germany Very High

11 Belgium Very High

12 Austria Very High

13 Poland High

14 Philippines High

15 Switzerland High

16 Romania High

17 Croatia High

18 Serbia High

19 Portugal High

20 Czech Republic High

21 Hungary High

22 Malaysia High

23 Greece High

24 Slovakia High

25 Bulgaria High

26 Lithuania High

27 Argentina High

28 India Moderate

29 Nigeria Moderate

30 Hong Kong Moderate

31 South Korea Moderate

32 Spain Moderate

33 Lebanon Moderate

34 Italy Moderate

35 France Moderate

36 Costa Rica Moderate

37 Dominican Republic Moderate

38 Belarus Moderate

39 Senegal Moderate

40 Uruguay Moderate

41 Vietnam Moderate

42 Russia Moderate

43 Ukraine Moderate

44 Macau SAR Moderate

45 Georgia Low

46 Chile Low

47 China Mainland Low

48 Taiwan Low

49 Japan Low

50 Pakistan Low

51 Indonesia Low

52 Albania Low

53 Brazil Low

54 Ethiopia Low

55 Guatemala Low

56 Panama Low

57 Mexico Low

58 Sri Lanka Low

59 Peru Low

60 Colombia Low

61 Bolivia Low

62 Egypt Low

63 Bangladesh Low

64 Thailand Low

65 Ecuador Low

66 Iran Very Low

67 Morocco Very Low

68 Tunisia Very Low

69 Honduras Very Low

70 El Salvador Very Low

71 United Arab Emirates Very Low

72 Nicaragua Very Low

73 Turkey Very Low

74 Jordan Very Low

75 Venezuela Very Low

76 Syria Very Low

77 Azerbaijan Very Low

78 Kuwait Very Low

79 Oman Very Low

80 Kazakhstan Very Low

81 Algeria Very Low

82 Myanmar Very Low

83 Saudi Arabia Very Low

84 Afghanistan Very Low

85 Cambodia Very Low

86 Uzbekistan Very Low

87 Iraq Very Low

88 Libya Very Low