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ZURICH, Nov. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

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