Countries ranked by English proficiency
The EF English Proficiency Index, a test-based score for adults in countries where English is not the first language. Higher is stronger. Destinations where English is an official language carry no score and are absent from this table rather than ranked at the top.
Netherlands ranks first in this current highest-to-lowest comparison at 624 points.
- Items compared
- 29
- Countries represented
- 29
- Last checked
- 2026-08-03
Source-backed answers
Compare each answer with its unit and checked date; the complete source ledger is below.
Showing all 29 rows
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| Original rank | Country | Source and scope | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 624 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 2 | Croatia | 617 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 3 | Austria | 616 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 4 | Germany | 615 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 5 | Norway | 613 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 6 | Portugal | 612 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 7 | Denmark | 611 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 8 | Sweden | 609 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 9 | Belgium | 608 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 10 | Slovakia | 606 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 11 | Romania | 605 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 12 | Finland | 603 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 13 | Poland | 600 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 14 | Latvia | 598 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 15 | Bulgaria | 594 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 16 | Greece | 592 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 17 | Hungary | 590 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 18 | Czechia | 582 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 19 | Switzerland | 564 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 20 | Estonia | 561 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 21 | Lithuania | 543 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 22 | Spain | 540 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 23 | France | 539 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 24 | Cyprus | 537 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 25 | South Korea | 522 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 26 | Italy | 513 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 27 | United Arab Emirates | 487 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 28 | Japan | 446 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
| 29 | Saudi Arabia | 404 pointsindex points | 2026-08-03 | Source Scope: country · Period: 2025-12-31 |
What the numbers say
- Netherlands leads at 624 index points.
- Saudi Arabia sits at the other end with 404 index points.
- The middle of this ranking is 594 index points, across 29 places that publish the metric.
- The spread between first and last is 220 index points.
What this measures
Require all component metrics for the same country, keep their source records, calculate english_proficiency_index, then sort descending.
- The report states exactly which components are included.
- Application and filing fees are excluded.
- Rows
- 29 countries
- Geographic grain
- country
- Observation period
- 2025-12-31
- Last checked
- 2026-08-03
- With an official source link
- 29 of 29
Cite this page
Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.
APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 14). Countries ranked by English proficiency [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/reports/countries-ranked-by-english-proficiency/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_countries-ranked-by-english-proficiency_3386bc910bc1,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Countries ranked by English proficiency},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-09-14},
version = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
snapshot = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/reports/countries-ranked-by-english-proficiency/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Countries ranked by English proficiency](https://immigrationdb.com/reports/countries-ranked-by-english-proficiency/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; retrieved 2026-09-14; built 2026-09-14.This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.