Wikipedia

EF English Proficiency Index

The EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) attempts to rank countries by the equity of English language skills amongst those adults who took the EF test.[2] It is the product of EF Education First, an international education company, and draws its conclusions from data collected via English tests available for free over the internet.[3][4] The index is an online survey first published in 2011[5] based on test data from 1.7 million test takers.[6] The most recent edition was released in November 2023.[7][8]

World map
World map representing different levels of English proficiency in the world in 2023:[1]
  •   600 and above (Very high)
  •   599 – 575 (High)
  •   574 – 550 (High)
  •   549 – 525 (Moderate)
  •   524 – 500 (Moderate)
  •   499 – 475 (Low)
  •   474 – 450 (Low)
  •   449 – 425 (Very low)
  •   424 – 400 (Very low)
  •   below 400 (Very low)
  •   No data or national language

Methodology edit

The EF EPI 2023 edition was calculated using test data from 2.1 million test takers in 2022. The test takers were self-selected. 113 countries and territories appear in this edition of the index. In order to be included, a country was required to have at least 400 test takers.[9]

Report edit

The report is composed of a country ranking table, several pages of analysis with graphs correlating other economic and social factors with English proficiency, and analysis of each region or continent. The 2023 report includes English proficiency levels by gender, age group, and region, within countries, and some English proficiency scores by city. The website displays portions of the report and has analysis of English skills in many countries and territories.[9]

Primary conclusions edit

  • Exports per capita, gross national income per capita and innovation all correlate positively with English proficiency.[10]
  • English proficiency levels are evolving at different rates in different countries, including a few countries with declining English skills.[11]
  • Europe has the highest proficiency in English, while the Middle East averages the lowest.[12]

2023 country rankings edit

Below are the latest country scores, proficiency bands, and rankings as published in 2023.[1]

2023 rank Country 2023 score 2023 proficiency band
1   Netherlands 647 Very high proficiency
2   Singapore 631 Very high proficiency
3   Austria 616 Very high proficiency
4   Denmark 615 Very high proficiency
5   Norway 614 Very high proficiency
6   Sweden 609 Very high proficiency
7   Belgium 608 Very high proficiency
8   Portugal 607 Very high proficiency
9   South Africa 605 Very high proficiency
10   Germany 604 Very high proficiency
11   Croatia 603 Very high proficiency
12   Greece 602 Very high proficiency
13   Poland 598 High proficiency
14   Finland 597 High proficiency
15   Romania 596 High proficiency
16   Bulgaria 589 High proficiency
17   Hungary 588 High proficiency
18   Slovakia 587 High proficiency
19   Kenya 584 High proficiency
20   Philippines 578 High proficiency
21   Lithuania 576 High proficiency
22   Luxembourg 575 High proficiency
23   Estonia 570 High proficiency
24   Serbia 569 High proficiency
25   Malaysia 568 High proficiency
26   Czech Republic 565 High proficiency
27   Nigeria 562 High proficiency
28   Argentina 560 High proficiency
29   Hong Kong 558 High proficiency
30    Switzerland 553 High proficiency
31   Honduras 544 Moderate proficiency
32   Georgia 541 Moderate proficiency
33   Belarus 539 Moderate proficiency
34   Ghana 537 Moderate proficiency
35   Italy 535 Moderate proficiency
35   Moldova 535 Moderate proficiency
35   Spain 535 Moderate proficiency
38   Costa Rica 534 Moderate proficiency
39   Albania 533 Moderate proficiency
39   Uruguay 533 Moderate proficiency
41   Bolivia 532 Moderate proficiency
41   Russia 532 Moderate proficiency
43   Cuba 531 Moderate proficiency
43   France 531 Moderate proficiency
45   Paraguay 530 Moderate proficiency
45   Ukraine 530 Moderate proficiency
47   Uganda 529 Moderate proficiency
48   Armenia 528 Moderate proficiency
49   South Korea 525 Moderate proficiency
50   El Salvador 524 Moderate proficiency
51   Peru 521 Moderate proficiency
52   Chile 518 Moderate proficiency
53   Guatemala 515 Moderate proficiency
54   Israel 514 Moderate proficiency
55   Dominican Republic 512 Moderate proficiency
56   Venezuela 508 Moderate proficiency
57     Nepal 507 Moderate proficiency
58   Iran 505 Moderate proficiency
58   Vietnam 505 Moderate proficiency
60   Bangladesh 504 Moderate proficiency
60   India 504 Moderate proficiency
62   Nicaragua 503 Moderate proficiency
63   Tunisia 502 Moderate proficiency
64   Pakistan 497 Low proficiency
65   Lebanon 496 Low proficiency
66   Turkey 493 Low proficiency
67   Sri Lanka 491 Low proficiency
67   Tanzania 491 Low proficiency
69   Ethiopia 490 Low proficiency
70   Brazil 487 Low proficiency
71   Panama 486 Low proficiency
71   United Arab Emirates 486 Low proficiency
73   Mongolia 482 Low proficiency
73   Qatar 482 Low proficiency
75   Colombia 480 Low proficiency
76   Morocco 478 Low proficiency
77   Algeria 475 Low proficiency
78   Madagascar 474 Low proficiency
79   Indonesia 473 Low proficiency
80   Ecuador 467 Low proficiency
80   Syria 467 Low proficiency
82   China 464 Low proficiency
83   Azerbaijan 463 Low proficiency
83   Egypt 463 Low proficiency
85   Kuwait 461 Low proficiency
86   Malawi 460 Low proficiency
87   Japan 457 Low proficiency
88   Afghanistan 456 Low proficiency
89   Mexico 451 Low proficiency
90   Kyrgyzstan 450 Low proficiency
90   Myanmar 450 Low proficiency
92   Palestine 445 Very low proficiency
93   Uzbekistan 442 Very low proficiency
94   Cameroon 438 Very low proficiency
94   Senegal 438 Very low proficiency
96   Jordan 431 Very low proficiency
97   Sudan 430 Very low proficiency
98   Cambodia 421 Very low proficiency
98   Haiti 421 Very low proficiency
100   Oman 418 Very low proficiency
101   Angola 416 Very low proficiency
101   Benin 416 Very low proficiency
101   Thailand 416 Very low proficiency
104   Kazakhstan 415 Very low proficiency
105   Somalia 411 Very low proficiency
106   Iraq 410 Very low proficiency
107   Ivory Coast 409 Very low proficiency
108   Saudi Arabia 408 Very low proficiency
109   Rwanda 405 Very low proficiency
110   Libya 392 Very low proficiency
110   Yemen 392 Very low proficiency
112   Tajikistan 388 Very low proficiency
113   Democratic Republic of the Congo 385 Very low proficiency

2023 capital city rankings edit

City 2023 score 2023 proficiency band
  Amsterdam 646 Very high
  Vienna 640 Very high
  Copenhagen 639 Very high
  Stockholm 637 Very high
  Oslo 629 Very high
  Berlin 625 Very high
  Sofia 622 Very high
  Bern 621 Very high
  Tallinn 621 Very high
  Helsinki 617 Very high
  Cape Town 614 Very high
  Zagreb 612 Very high
  Athens 611 Very high
  Vilnius 610 Very high
  Lisbon 609 Very high
  Warsaw 605 Very high
  Bucharest 602 Very high
  Budapest 600 Very high
  Belgrade 594 High
  Bratislava 592 High
  Buenos Aires 592 High
  Brussels 589 High
  Prague 589 High
  Manila 587 High
  Nairobi 586 High
  Paris 579 High
  Lagos 578 High
  Chișinău 573 High
  Kuala Lumpur 564 High
  La Paz 562 High
  Seoul 559 High
  Tirana 559 High
  Madrid 558 High
  Rome 555 High
  Santiago 553 High
  Accra 552 High
  Tbilisi 551 High
  Tegucigalpa 551 High
  Asunción 549 Moderate
  Minsk 549 Moderate
  Montevideo 549 Moderate
  San José 549 Moderate
  Kyiv 547 Moderate
  Beirut 545 Moderate
  Havana 543 Moderate
  Brasília 542 Moderate
  Moscow 542 Moderate
  Hanoi 538 Moderate
  Islamabad 538 Moderate
  Yerevan 536 Moderate
  Lima 536 Moderate
  San Salvador 534 Moderate
  Tunis 533 Moderate
  Jakarta 531 Moderate
  Colombo 528 Moderate
  Santo Domingo 528 Moderate
  Kathmandu 527 Moderate
  Caracas 521 Moderate
  Dhaka 521 Moderate
  Guatemala City 521 Moderate
  Tehran 521 Moderate
  Kampala 520 Moderate
  Addis Ababa 515 Moderate
  Dar es Salaam 515 Moderate
  Beijing 514 Moderate
  Algiers 513 Moderate
  Quito 513 Moderate
  Rio de Janeiro 513 Moderate
  Shanghai 512 Moderate
  Managua 511 Moderate
  Dubai 510 Moderate
  Rabat 506 Moderate
  Ankara 503 Moderate
  Tokyo 503 Moderate
  Jerusalem 500 Moderate
  Medellín 500 Moderate
  Ulaanbaatar 500 Moderate
  Panama City 491 Low
  Astana 485 Low
  Bishkek 484 Low
  Doha 484 Low
  Damascus 477 Low
  Cairo 476 Low
  Guangzhou 475 Low
  Amman 470 Low
  Baku 466 Low
  Mexico City 462 Low
  Kabul 458 Low
  Bangkok 457 Low
  Delhi 451 Low
  Kuwait City 446 Very low
  Tashkent 445 Very low
  Mogadishu 442 Very low
  Khartoum 440 Very low
  Muscat 436 Very low
  Yaoundé 436 Very low
  Naypyidaw 433 Very low
  Luanda 428 Very low
  Port-au-Prince 427 Very low
  Abidjan 425 Very low
  Baghdad 425 Very low
  Phnom Penh 422 Very low
  Kinshasa 421 Very low
  Tripoli 410 Very low
  Kigali 409 Very low
  Sanaa 408 Very low
  Riyadh 400 Very low
  Dushanbe 392 Very low

Similar reports edit

The European Commission performed a language survey, SurveyLang, which tested a representative sample of 15-year-old European students on their foreign language skills. The report and data sets were released for 13 European countries in June 2012.[13]

Criticisms edit

The EF English Proficiency Index has been the subject of criticism in literature. From the point of view of methodology, it suffers from self-selection bias. Instead of testing the level of English proficiency in the population, it tests the level of English of those who self-select. [14] On a political level, the EF English Proficiency Index can promote linguistic imperialism. EF does not create a ranking of countries on the basis of ability to speak a second language, but only on English proficiency, which is implicitly singled out as the only language that counts to know. English-speaking countries are therefore excluded from the ranking and implicitly designated as the 'gold standard' to be achieved. The EF English Proficiency Index thus gives a worldwide quantitative representation of the 'deficit model', whereby a country's level of progress is measured on the benchmark of a subset of countries. Moreover, the countries at the top of the rankings are often those whose official languages are gradually subject to 'domain loss' in favour of English, because they are being used less and less in scientific research, academic teaching and multinational corporations.[15]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "EF EPI 2023 - EF English Proficiency Index". 2023. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ English: Who speaks English? Archived 2 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine. The Economist. Retrieved on 2011-05-29.
  3. ^ Study Offers Snapshot of Global English-Language-Learner Trends Archived 16 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Education Week. Retrieved on 2017-01-17.
  4. ^ The EF SET powers the EF EPI Archived 24 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. EF SET. Retrieved on 2017-10-05.
  5. ^ The EF EPI Archived 30 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine. ef.com. Retrieved on 2017-10-05.
  6. ^ Low English Levels Can Hurt Countries' Progress Archived 17 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. New York Times. Retrieved on 2017-01-17.
  7. ^ "EF English Proficiency Index" (PDF). ef.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 May 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  8. ^ Women and managers are better at speaking English, study on proficiency finds Archived 16 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Business Insider. Retrieved on 2018-11-09
  9. ^ a b EF English Proficiency Index – Comparing English skills between countries – EF EPI Archived 18 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Ef.com. Retrieved on 2018-11-09.
  10. ^ Minh Tran: Countries with High English Proficiency Are More Innovative Archived 2 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Harvard Business Review. "Minh Tran is Director of Research and Partnerships for EF Education First and a member of the team that launched the EF Standard English Test." Retrieved on 2017-01-17.
  11. ^ How Well Does Your Country Speak English? Archived 30 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Voice of America. Retrieved on 2017-1-17.
  12. ^ Which countries are best at English as a second language? Archived 8 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine. World Economic Forum. Retrieved on 2017-1-17.
  13. ^ SurveyLang project Archived 23 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine. European Commission. Retrieved on 2012-09-20.
  14. ^ [1] Archived 28 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Michele Gazzola & Daniele Mazzacani, "Il valore economico del plurilinguismo". Retrieved on 2023-01-17.
  15. ^ [2] Archived 8 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine. "English takes over at Dutch universities, just 40% of courses still in Dutch", DutchNews.nl. Retrieved on 2016-08-26.

External links edit

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