Best Non-Native English Speaking Countries In The World, 2024
The Netherlands has been named as the top non-native speakers of English in the world, according to an annual international ranking. It has overtaken Sweden, which was the winner last year, and has now been pushed down to second place. Norway has taken the third spot, followed by Denmark and Singapore. The ranking is based on comparing English language skills measured by testing 1.45 million people across 100 countries, and over 400 cities and regions. The test was taken voluntarily by the participants.
English is the most widely spoken language in the world, but it’s worth noting that most English speakers are not native speakers. Out of the 1.45 billion people who speak English, 380 million people speak it as their first language (L1), while over 1 billion people speak it as their second language (L2). Fourteen countries have been placed in the “very high” category, with the Netherlands being ranked first, followed by Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Singapore, South Africa, Finland, Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Belgium, and Croatia in the fourteenth place. The country with the lowest English proficiency is Libya, followed by Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Ivory Coast, and Uzbekistan.
Which EU countries are the worst at speaking English?
Italy has been ranked as the country with the lowest level of English proficiency in the European Union. In the English Proficiency Index, Italy was placed 36th overall and classified in the “moderate proficiency” group. Spain (35th), Latvia (32nd), and France (31st) were also ranked in the “moderate proficiency” group and were placed at the bottom of all EU countries.
Which Countries Speak The Best English As A Second Language?
If you’re able to understand this text, then you probably have a good understanding of the English language. Have you ever wondered which country has the most fluent non-native English speakers? According to the English Proficiency Index, which is based on a free online test taken by 4.2 million volunteers, the Dutch have the highest fluency. Sweden came in second place with a score of 74.63 out of 100, while Norway took third place with 72.68 points. Although the countries with “very high proficiency” were predominantly European, Singapore and South Africa also scored exceptionally well, securing the fifth and sixth positions, respectively.
The Netherlands is a country with high living standards and levels of life satisfaction. The Dutch attach great importance to mastering English, so you’ll likely find locals responding in English to your attempts at speaking Dutch. This is because they feel it’s easier for both of you. It might interest you to know that Dutch is another Germanic language with many similarities to English. In fact, it’s one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn!
It is important to keep in mind that locations with better access to computers and the Internet are likely to have a higher number of participants, which could have skewed the results. The study also discovered that English is by far the most commonly studied second language in the world. The poll conducted by CEOWORLD magazine involved testing non-native English speakers in 100 countries and over 400 cities and regions who willingly agreed to take the test.
Best Non-Native English Speaking Countries In The World, 2024
Rank | Country | Score | Proficiency |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Netherlands | 74.74 | Very high |
2 | Sweden | 74.63 | Very high |
3 | Norway | 72.68 | Very high |
4 | Denmark | 72.42 | Very high |
5 | Singapore | 71.91 | Very high |
6 | South Africa | 71.52 | Very high |
7 | Finland | 71.33 | Very high |
8 | Austria | 70.83 | Very high |
9 | Luxembourg | 70.67 | Very high |
10 | Germany | 70.62 | Very high |
11 | Poland | 70.54 | Very high |
12 | Portugal | 69.57 | Very high |
13 | Belgium | 69.47 | Very high |
14 | Croatia | 69.42 | Very high |
15 | Hungary | 69.31 | High |
16 | Romania | 69.30 | High |
17 | Serbia | 68.94 | High |
18 | Kenya | 68.75 | High |
19 | Switzerland | 68.18 | High |
20 | Philippines | 68.00 | High |
21 | Lithuania | 67.94 | High |
22 | Greece | 67.11 | High |
23 | Czech Republic | 66.86 | High |
24 | Bulgaria | 66.59 | High |
25 | Slovakia | 66.55 | High |
26 | Malaysia | 66.28 | High |
27 | Argentina | 65.71 | High |
28 | Estonia | 65.68 | High |
29 | Nigeria | 65.36 | High |
30 | Costa Rica | 64.88 | Moderate |
31 | France | 64.63 | Moderate |
32 | Latvia | 64.18 | Moderate |
33 | Hong Kong | 64.09 | Moderate |
34 | India | 63.78 | Moderate |
35 | Spain | 63.50 | Moderate |
36 | Italy | 63.38 | Moderate |
37 | South Korea | 63.28 | Moderate |
38 | Taiwan | 62.79 | Moderate |
39 | Uruguay | 62.67 | Moderate |
40 | China | 62.54 | Moderate |
41 | Macau | 62.48 | Moderate |
42 | Chile | 62.13 | Moderate |
43 | Cuba | 61.94 | Moderate |
44 | Dominican Republic | 61.64 | Moderate |
45 | Paraguay | 61.55 | Moderate |
46 | Guatemala | 61.38 | Moderate |
47 | Belarus | 61.21 | Low |
48 | Russia | 60.44 | Low |
49 | Ukraine | 60.39 | Low |
50 | Albania | 60.16 | Low |
51 | Bolivia | 59.49 | Low |
52 | Vietnam | 59.22 | Low |
53 | Japan | 59.20 | Low |
54 | Islamic Republic of Pakistan | 58.65 | Low |
55 | Bahrain | 58.63 | Low |
56 | Georgia | 58.59 | Low |
57 | Honduras | 58.41 | Low |
58 | Peru | 57.78 | Low |
59 | Brazil | 57.75 | Low |
60 | El Salvador | 57.64 | Low |
61 | Indonesia | 57.23 | Low |
62 | Nicaragua | 57.18 | Low |
63 | Ethiopia | 55.35 | Low |
64 | Panama | 54.31 | Low |
65 | Tunisia | 53.99 | Low |
66 | Nepal | 53.97 | Low |
67 | Mexico | 53.76 | Low |
68 | Colombia | 52.64 | Low |
69 | Iran | 52.48 | Low |
70 | U.A.E. | 52.24 | Very low |
71 | Bangladesh | 51.92 | Very low |
72 | Maldives | 51.62 | Very low |
73 | Venezuela | 51.60 | Very low |
74 | Thailand | 51.55 | Very low |
75 | Jordan | 51.11 | Very low |
76 | Morocco | 50.78 | Very low |
77 | Egypt | 50.61 | Very low |
78 | Sri Lanka | 50.39 | Very low |
79 | Turkey | 49.61 | Very low |
80 | Qatar | 49.38 | Very low |
81 | Ecuador | 49.23 | Very low |
82 | Syria | 49.19 | Very low |
83 | Cameroon | 48.92 | Very low |
84 | Kuwait | 48.91 | Very low |
85 | Azerbaijan | 48.71 | Very low |
86 | Myanmar | 48.69 | Very low |
87 | Sudan | 48.49 | Very low |
88 | Mongolia | 48.44 | Very low |
89 | Afghanistan | 48.18 | Very low |
90 | Algeria | 47.60 | Very low |
91 | Angola | 47.05 | Very low |
92 | Oman | 46.77 | Very low |
93 | Kazakhstan | 46.69 | Very low |
94 | Cambodia | 46.13 | Very low |
95 | Uzbekistan | 46.02 | Very low |
96 | Ivory Coast | 46.01 | Very low |
97 | Iraq | 45.21 | Very low |
98 | Saudi Arabia | 45.17 | Very low |
99 | Kyrgyzstan | 45.07 | Very low |
100 | Libya | 45.00 | Very low |
Have you read?
Countries: Powerful Passports. Countries: Richest. Countries: Poorest. Countries: Happiest. Countries: Life Expectancy.
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