Dutch Pass Danes to Become World's Best English Speakers

Global survey of 950,000 adults across 72 countries and territories links English proficiency with income, innovation, and quality of life

ZURICH, Nov. 15, 2016 /CNW/ - 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:

• For the first time, an Asian country, Singapore, is in the highest proficiency band. Malaysia and the Philippines are also in the top 15 countries worldwide.
• English proficiency in Europe remains the strongest in the world by a wide margin, while countries in the Middle East and North Africa continue to occupy the lowest ranks.
• Of all the regions surveyed, Latin America is the only region that experienced a decline in English proficiency in the past year.
• Countries making the most progress in English proficiency include France, Qatar, and Singapore; countries with the steepest declines include Iraq, Japan, and Peru.
• Young adults aged 18-25 have the strongest English proficiency worldwide, although some countries have markedly different national trends.
• Women have stronger English skills than men in almost all countries and age groups.
• English proficiency remains a key indicator of economic competitiveness at both the individual and national levels. Higher English proficiency correlates with higher incomes, better quality of life, greater connectivity, and more dynamic business environments.

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		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

SOURCE EF Education First