Global survey of over two million adults reveals worldwide trends in English 
proficiency  

EF Education First[http://www.ef.com/] released today the 2020 edition of its 
EF English Proficiency Index[http://www.ef.com/epi] (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.

"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[https://www.efset.org/] (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

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1021478/EF_Education_First_Logo.jpg 
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1334103/EPI_2020.jpg

Source: EF Education First (EF