The Netherlands has been a leader in English for seven years

According to the EF English Proficiency Index ranking, a list of European countries with the best English language proficiency has been announced. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

In this ranking, the Netherlands has held the first place consecutively for seven years. This country has once again proven that its population possesses a high level of accuracy and fluency in using English.

Following the Netherlands in the ranking are Croatia and Austria. It has been noted that in these countries, English is widely used in education and work environments, and its importance is high.

However, countries such as Italy, Cyprus, and France have average or below-average levels of English proficiency. Experts associate this situation with the education system, age composition, and opportunities to use the language in practice.

The study is based on test results from 2.2 million adults. According to the results, reading and listening skills are the strongest, while speaking and writing are relatively lower.

Notably, between 2014 and 2025, men's English proficiency increased by 40 points, while women's increased by 20 points. However, a decline in language proficiency among young people has been observed in the post-pandemic period.

This situation is explained by the limitations of online education and practical environments.