English Proficiency by Country, Top 25 Ranked by EF Index

Key points from the map

The map ranks the top 25 countries in the 2023 EF English Proficiency Index, leaving out countries where English is the main native language.
The Netherlands leads with a score of 647, well ahead of Singapore (631) and Austria (616).
Twelve countries score 600 or more and fall in the “very high proficiency” band. All are in Europe except Singapore and South Africa.
Outside Europe, Singapore, South Africa, Kenya, the Philippines and Malaysia make the top 25.
The index is based on test results from 2.2 million adults in 113 countries and regions.

English proficiency by country in text

Title: Top 25 Countries by English Proficiency. Note: Excludes countries where English is the primary native language. Legend: High proficiency (blue, 550 to 600) and Very high proficiency (orange to yellow, 600 to 650). Each country has a numbered rank badge and an italic score. A stylised map of Europe holds most countries, with two round insets for Africa (Kenya, South Africa) and Southeast Asia (Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore). Source: EF English Proficiency Index. Based on the test results of 2.2M adult across 113 countries & regions. Does not include Australia, Canada, UK, U.S., and New Zealand. Footer: Voronoi, Where Data Tells the Story, with app store badges.

Rank	Country	Score
1	Netherlands	647
2	Singapore	631
3	Austria	616
4	Denmark	615
5	Norway	614
6	Sweden	609
7	Belgium	608
8	Portugal	607
9	South Africa (printed “S. Africa”)	605
10	Germany	604
11	Croatia	603
12	Greece	602
13	Poland	598
14	Finland	597
15	Romania	596
16	Bulgaria	589
17	Hungary	588
18	Slovakia	587
19	Kenya	584
20	Philippines (printed “Phillipines”)	568 on the chart; 578 in the EF index
21	Lithuania	576
22	Luxembourg	575
23	Estonia	570
24	Serbia	569
25	Malaysia	568

Ranks 1 to 12 are coloured orange to yellow (very high proficiency) and ranks 13 to 25 blue (high proficiency).

How the EF index scores countries

Voronoi’s notes with the map explain the method [1]. Ranks are set by each country’s average score on the EF Standard English Test (EF SET). EF groups scores into five bands: very high proficiency (600 and above), high (550 to 599), moderate (500 to 549), low (450 to 499) and very low (below 450). Countries where English is the main native language are not ranked.

Voronoi also highlights a trend in EF’s data: English proficiency among younger adults is falling. People aged 18 to 20 averaged 537 points (moderate) in 2015 but 448 points (very low) in 2023, with no significant decline measured in older age groups [1].

The newest EF ranking

EF publishes a new edition each year. Its 2025 edition covers 2.2 million adults in 123 countries and regions [3]. The Netherlands is still first, with a score of 624, followed by Croatia (617), Austria (616), Germany (615), Norway (613), Portugal (612), Denmark (611), Sweden (609), Belgium (608) and Slovakia (606) [3]. Croatia and Slovakia rank much higher than on this 2023 map, and Singapore, second here, is outside the 2025 top ten. Scores in different editions are not strictly comparable, because the set of countries and test takers changes each year.

Notes on this infographic

Philippines score. The map prints 568 for the Philippines at rank 20, which would place it below Lithuania (576) and level with Malaysia at 25th. The EF EPI 2023 report gives the Philippines 578 [2], which fits its rank. 568 is a typing error on the map.
Spelling. The map spells the country “Phillipines”. The correct spelling is Philippines.
Every other score checked. We compared all 25 ranks and scores with the EF EPI 2023 ranking table [2]. Apart from the Philippines, every figure matches.
Not a measure of a whole population. EF’s own report says the test-taking population is self-selected and not guaranteed to be representative, and that it is biased toward younger adults and people interested in language study [2].

Questions about English proficiency by country

Which countries have the highest English proficiency?

In the 2023 index shown here, the Netherlands (647), Singapore (631), Austria (616), Denmark (615) and Norway (614) score highest among countries where English is not the main native language [2]. In the 2025 edition the Netherlands is still first, with 624 [3].

What is the highest level of English proficiency?

In the EF English Proficiency Index, the top band is “very high proficiency”, for a score of 600 or more [1]. Twelve countries on this map reach it.

What is the English proficiency score of the Philippines?

The EF English Proficiency Index 2023 gives the Philippines a score of 578, ranked 20th [2]. The map prints 568, which would place it below Lithuania (576) and level with Malaysia in 25th place, so 568 is a typing error. The map also misspells the country as "Phillipines".

Is English proficiency falling among young adults?

Yes, according to EF's data, people aged 18 to 20 averaged 537 points (moderate proficiency) in 2015 but 448 points (very low proficiency) in 2023 [1]. No significant decline was measured in older age groups [1]. EF's own report notes that its test takers are self-selected and biased toward younger adults and people interested in language study [2].