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November 15, 2022

The Netherlands, Singapore, and Austria Top EF's Global English Proficiency Index

— Worldwide English Trends Revealed in Survey of Over Two Million Adults

ZURICH, November 15, 2022 — EF Education First (EF) today released the 2022 edition of its EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), analyzing data from 2.1 million non-native English speakers in 111 countries and regions. The Netherlands retained first place, while Singapore surged to second, cracking the top three again since becoming the first ASEAN nation to do so in 2018.

“This year’s index reflects the pandemic’s impact - from a concerning decline in English proficiency among young people to unexpectedly high proficiency outside big cities, which has remote work implications,” said EF EPI author Kate Bell. “The report tracks stories of remarkable progress and discouraging setbacks.”

The EF EPI is based on scores from the EF Standard English Test (EF SET), used by governments, companies, and schools for large-scale testing and millions of individual test takers.

Key findings include:

• English proficiency improved for adults over 25, with over 40s improving the most. Proficiency among adults 21 - 25 was unchanged but declined for the 18-20 cohort by a striking 50 points since 2020.

• Lower-proficiency groups are catching up in Europe, with large countries bordering the European Union fueling the region’s continuing rise. However, Europe is the only area where young adults have not lost ground.

• Central and South America continue to improve remarkably; but have the broadest age-related score difference in the world, with scores for the 18-20 cohort declining significantly since 2020.

• Asia’s regional average declined slightly due to drops in the Philippines and China, although most countries surveyed improved somewhat, and three climbed into a higher proficiency band.

• This year, the gender gap has widened, with men’s English proficiency continuing to outpace women. It appears to be driven by biased education systems or unequal access.

• Large cities don’t always have the best English. Of the 500+ cities measured, 130 did not outscore their region, and another 130 barely did. It has implications for recruitment, given the shift toward remote work.

• English proficiency in Africa and the Middle East was stable. Outcomes remain stubbornly low across ages in the Middle East, although a narrowing gender-related proficiency gap is a positive development. Africa has some of the broadest proficiency gaps in the world, both in age and gender.

• English Proficiency Ranking of Countries

1. Netherlands
2. Singapore
3. Austria
4. Norway
5. Denmark
6. Belgium
7. Sweden
8. Finland
9. Portugal
10. Germany
11. Croatia
12. South Africa
13. Poland
14. Greece
15. Slovakia
16. Luxembourg
17. Romania
18. Hungary
19. Lithuania
20. Kenya
21. Bulgaria
22. Philippines
23. Czech Republic
24. Malaysia
25. Latvia
26. Estonia
27. Serbia
28. Nigeria
29. Switzerland
30. Argentina
31. Hong Kong, China
32. Italy
33. Spain
34. France
35. Ukraine
36. South Korea
37. Costa Rica
38. Cuba
39. Belarus
40. Russia
41. Ghana
42. Moldova
43. Paraguay
44. Bolivia
45. Chile
46. Georgia
47. Albania
48. Honduras
49. Uruguay
50. El Salvador
51. Peru
52. India
53. Dominican Republic
54. Lebanon
55. Uganda
56. Tunisia
57. Armenia
58. Brazil
59. Guatemala
60. Vietnam
61. Nicaragua
62. China
63. Tanzania
64. Turkey
65. Nepal
66. Bangladesh
67. Venezuela
68. Ethiopia
69. Iran
70. Pakistan
71. Sri Lanka
72. Mongolia
73. Qatar
74. Israel
75. Panama
76. Morocco
77. Colombia
78. U.A.E.
79. Algeria
80. Japan
81. Indonesia
82. Ecuador
83. Syria
84. Kuwait
85. Egypt
86. Mozambique
87. Afghanistan
88. Mexico
89. Uzbekistan
90. Jordan
91. Kyrgyzstan
92. Azerbaijan
93. Myanmar
94. Cambodia
95. Sudan
96. Cameroon
97. Thailand
98. Haiti
99. Kazakhstan
100. Somalia
101. Oman
102. Saudi Arabia
103. Iraq
104. Côte d’Ivoire
105. Angola
106. Tajikistan
107. Rwanda
108. Libya
109. Yemen
110. Democratic Republic of Congo
111. Laos

EF Education First provides culturally immersive education through language, travel, cultural exchange, and academic programs in over 100 countries. Founded in Sweden in 1965, EF’s mission is to open the world through education.

Source: EF Education First (EF)

|GlobalGiants.Com|

Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:39 AM | Link to this Post

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