ZURICH, Nov. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Global survey of 950,000 adults across 72 countries and territories links English proficiency with income, innovation, and quality of life
Adults in the Netherlands are the best non-native English speakers in the world, followed by those in Denmark and Sweden, according to the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) released today by EF Education First. Laos, Libya, and Iraq occupy the bottom of the rankings.
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"In a volatile global economy, English proficiency is one of the few skills with proven ability to generate opportunities and strengthen employability," said Minh N. Tran, EF Director of Research. "It takes a great deal of effort and investment to steer a country or company towards a future with an English-speaking workforce. The EF EPI addresses these challenges and prompts global discussions about the best practices of language education."
Highlights of the sixth edition of the EF EPI include:
A companion to the EF EPI, the EF EPI for Companies (EF EPI-c), was also released today. The EF EPI-c is an evaluation of global workforce English skills, surveying 510,000 professionals from 40 countries and 16 industries. The report finds that executives lag behind their employees in English skills, and that countries' workforce English scores correlate positively with indicators of global innovation, government transparency, and ease of doing business.
Millions of participants took part in this year's research by completing the EF Standard English Test (EFSET), the world's first free standardized English test. The EFSET was launched in order to serve the world's two billion English language learners, who previously lacked a free, high-quality self-assessment tool. The EFSET also provides schools, companies, and governments with convenient, large-scale testing solutions.
The full reports and country fact sheets are available for download at http://www.ef.com/epi.
About EF Education First:
EF Education First (http://www.ef.com) is an international education company focusing on language, academics, education travel, and cultural experience. Established in 1965 with the mission of opening the world through education, EF has more than 500 schools and offices in over 50 countries.
EF English Proficiency Index Sixth Edition
Rank |
Country |
EF EPI Proficiency Band |
1 |
Netherlands |
Very High |
2 |
Denmark |
Very High |
3 |
Sweden |
Very High |
4 |
Norway |
Very High |
5 |
Finland |
Very High |
6 |
Singapore |
Very High |
7 |
Luxembourg |
Very High |
8 |
Austria |
High |
9 |
Germany |
High |
10 |
Poland |
High |
11 |
Belgium |
High |
12 |
Malaysia |
High |
13 |
Philippines |
High |
14 |
Switzerland |
High |
15 |
Portugal |
High |
16 |
Czech Republic |
High |
17 |
Serbia |
High |
18 |
Hungary |
High |
19 |
Argentina |
High |
20 |
Romania |
High |
21 |
Slovakia |
Moderate |
22 |
India |
Moderate |
23 |
Dominican Republic |
Moderate |
24 |
Bulgaria |
Moderate |
25 |
Spain |
Moderate |
26 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Moderate |
27 |
South Korea |
Moderate |
28 |
Italy |
Moderate |
29 |
France |
Moderate |
30 |
Hong Kong |
Moderate |
31 |
Vietnam |
Moderate |
32 |
Indonesia |
Moderate |
33 |
Taiwan |
Moderate |
34 |
Russia |
Low |
35 |
Japan |
Low |
36 |
Uruguay |
Low |
37 |
Macau |
Low |
38 |
Costa Rica |
Low |
39 |
Mainland China |
Low |
40 |
Brazil |
Low |
41 |
Ukraine |
Low |
42 |
Chile |
Low |
43 |
Mexico |
Low |
44 |
Morocco |
Low |
45 |
Peru |
Low |
46 |
United Arab Emirates |
Low |
47 |
Ecuador |
Low |
48 |
Pakistan |
Low |
49 |
Colombia |
Very Low |
50 |
Panama |
Very Low |
51 |
Turkey |
Very Low |
52 |
Tunisia |
Very Low |
53 |
Guatemala |
Very Low |
54 |
Kazakhstan |
Very Low |
55 |
Egypt |
Very Low |
56 |
Thailand |
Very Low |
57 |
Azerbaijan |
Very Low |
58 |
Sri Lanka |
Very Low |
59 |
Qatar |
Very Low |
60 |
Venezuela |
Very Low |
61 |
Iran |
Very Low |
62 |
Jordan |
Very Low |
63 |
El Salvador |
Very Low |
64 |
Oman |
Very Low |
65 |
Kuwait |
Very Low |
66 |
Mongolia |
Very Low |
67 |
Algeria |
Very Low |
68 |
Saudi Arabia |
Very Low |
69 |
Cambodia |
Very Low |
70 |
Laos |
Very Low |
71 |
Libya |
Very Low |
72 |
Iraq |
Very Low |