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

ZURICH,Nov. 17,2020 -- 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.

"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 athttp://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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