English proficiency around the world: explained

Worldwide, a reported 1.35 billion people understand English to some level, with different proficiency levels in reading, speaking, writing and listening.

The level of English proficiency in different parts of the world depends on a range of factors, which we’ll cover. Understanding worldwide English proficiency is important if you’re a TEFL teacher. 

Why? Knowing where proficiency is highest and lowest can impact your job search and your aspirations as a teacher. Where English proficiency is highest, it can be harder to get jobs unless you’re incredibly well-qualified and have plenty of teaching experience. Where it’s lowest, there might not be the demand necessary to find work. Alternatively, there might be incredible demand, albeit in teaching conditions that can be more challenging.

Let’s look at worldwide English proficiency, where it’s highest and lowest, where some interesting trends are emerging, and why it all matters.

Highs and lows: 2025 

EF releases its annual English Proficiency Index , which gives insight into how well different countries perform in English. Who are the biggest hitters, and who could use some help?

The top 3: Netherlands, Norway and Singapore

The Netherlands is a regular leader in English proficiency amongst non-English speaking nations. A few factors are at play: Dutch people see themselves as explorers who pick up languages quickly, they’re a country of traders who use English for international business, and they don’t dub English language media. With a robust educational system, a huge tourism industry, a language that bears similarities to English and a very international outlook, it doesn’t seem like much of a surprise to see the Netherlands constantly at the top table for English proficiency.

Norway , similarly, has exceptionally high levels of English proficiency, as do the country’s Scandinavian neighbours, Sweden and Denmark . Like the Dutch language, English shares linguistic roots with Northern Europe . Norwegian, Swedish and Danish are all members of the family tree of Germanic languages, as is English. Again, you also have to consider international trade and tourism as factors, and also the fact that, in Scandinavian countries, foreign languages are taught from a very early age. Chief among those foreign languages is English.

Singapore , meanwhile, has different reasons for being such a high-proficiency country. A former colony of Great Britain, Singapore has a history with the English language, and the importance of Singapore as a trading post explains why English is spoken so well there today. Again, international business (Singapore is one of the four Asian tigers ) is dominant.

The bottom three: Cote d’Ivoire, Somalia, Yemen

When you see the lower reaches of the English Proficiency Index, you’ll understand that some countries have more pressing matters or have no particular appetite for English education.

The lower rungs of the EPI tend to be populated by countries where English isn’t a widely spoken language and isn’t offered at school. There are other trends, though. English proficiency is lower in areas where school attendance is a significant problem. 

In a report on Cote d’Ivoire by the UNESCO Institute of Statistics , the primary school completion rate in 2022 was 68% for girls and 69% for boys. In Somalia and Yemen, where there’s significant civil unrest and high levels of poverty, millions of children are out of school . 4.5 million of Yemen’s nearly 11 million school-age children aren’t able to receive an education . Suffice it to say, there are more urgent matters than learning English to a high standard.

Global trends 

So, what’s going on in English-language education? How are things trending?

Is age a factor?

According to the English Proficiency Index, worldwide proficiency is decreasing among 18 to 20-year-olds. Meanwhile, other age groups are showing consistent levels of proficiency. Perhaps factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and competition for university places in other subjects are at play. However, the decline in proficiency among younger people isn’t dramatic, and levels will likely improve.

Significant improvement in Africa and Europe 

According to testing by Pearson , test scores for English-speaking tests are on a steady rise in Africa , while both speaking and writing scores are soaring across Europe . 

Linguistically, Africa is fascinating. English is an official language in 24 African countries , but that isn’t to say those 24 countries have universally fluent English-speaking populations. Languages in Africa are extremely diverse, and while English may be prominent across the continent, the status of English as an official language isn’t to say it’s the most widely spoken language. Though central governments may use English in their everyday administration, this often doesn’t reflect a country as a whole.

We’ve already covered Northern Europe, which accounts for very high levels of English proficiency. Across the continent, though, factors like tourism and the ubiquity of the internet have led to stark rises in English proficiency. Baltic and Balkan countries, in particular, have shown an increased interest in the language.

More Latin American companies are teaching their workforce 

According to the same Pearson report, Latin American companies are more readily teaching their workforce English, which is responsible for growth in proficiency across Latin American adults. A word to the wise: there are job opportunities here, so if you specialise in Business English , heading to Latin America might be the best choice!

Specific industries test well in English

Another trend worth noting is that particular industries score well for English proficiency. Specifically, telecommunications ranks highly for levels of spoken English, while there are high levels of English ability in the finance sector. Again, it comes down to international business and the status of English as the lingua franca for trade and finance.

Factors affecting proficiency

What kind of factors affect levels of English proficiency around the world? Good question, and we’re glad you asked. There are, of course, any number of variables, but here are some of the most specific factors affecting how well people worldwide perform in English.

Access to education

The most obvious and important factor affecting English proficiency is access to education. As we noted earlier, many countries with the lowest levels of English proficiency have significant problems with school attendance, which can be affected by poverty, lack of infrastructure, violence, and other issues. 

Where English isn’t a primary language, it’s not a given that it will be offered in schools. So, even in areas where school attendance isn’t a problem, it’s not always the case that English is on offer. No lessons, no proficiency.

Government policy

Given the importance of English as the language of business and as a language commonly spoken by tourists, many countries have attempted to implement more effective English teaching strategies across their respective educational systems. 

Access to media

Video games, music, and internet culture drive English language learning. We’ve seen ample evidence of this in countries like Lithuania and Latvia ; English has blossomed in countries where English-language media was once prohibited. Where English-language media is widely available, people are more inclined to learn it.

Interestingly, China doesn’t allow much (if any) English-language media, yet it’s the most enormous TEFL market in the world. Also, you might not expect North Korea, which doesn’t offer any media from the USA or UK to slip the net, is seeing something of an English boom .

Cultural attitudes

This leads nicely to cultural attitudes, which affect how widely English is taught and learned. Governments seeking to restrict Western influence are clearly specific examples of cultural attitudes at work. Some countries, though, aren’t inclined to learn English as widely because they feel they don’t need to.

France , for example, has a fantastic education system and is right next to the UK, northern Europe and western mainland Europe, all of which have some of the highest levels of English proficiency anywhere in the world. Yet, France ranks below Bolivia and Chile in terms of English ability. Historically, France hasn’t felt a huge lure to learn the language, especially since they speak French, amongst the most widely spoken languages in the world.

Historical impact of English-speaking countries

It’s a thorny issue, but we can’t ignore colonialism's impact on English proficiency . For obvious reasons, English proficiency tends to be higher across the Commonwealth and nations that used to have at least some form of British rule. Take, for example, the presence of Singapore, South Africa, Malaysia, and Nigeria in the English Proficiency Index’s top 30 ranked countries.

Why does English proficiency matter?

We’re sure you find all this interesting, but you might wonder why it matters. It turns out that it matters significantly.

A country or region’s English proficiency can affect the types of jobs you go for. Typically, it’s easier to find entry-level jobs where proficiency is higher. Strong performance in the EPI usually means a solid educational infrastructure and a significant demand for English.

Teaching salaries and benefits can also be significantly better in countries with a high proficiency level. However, there are outliers. The Middle East, for example, has countries with low levels of English proficiency, like Saudi Arabia , where teacher salaries can be extremely lucrative. Japan also has fairly low proficiency levels but excellent job opportunities and wages. 

As a teacher, your mission might be to teach English where it’s most needed. This is where researching proficiency can be extremely useful.

Plenty to think about!

It’s fascinating to see how trends develop around the world. From year to year, different factors and influences affect English proficiency worldwide. Investigating why a country’s standard of English may have rapidly improved or has gone down a few positions in the rankings can send you on a journey studying the culture of language itself.

Our country g u ides include a country’s English proficiency level so you can better understand where you want to teach. Also, you don’t have to go abroad to improve a country’s proficiency - teaching English online can lead to opportunities to work with students from particular parts of the world.

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