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Business EconomyPosted at: Nov 17 2020 5:42PM


Europe on top in EFs Global Ranking of English Proficiency

ZURICH, Nov. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 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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