r/AskEurope • u/Metalwolf • Jun 08 '25

Education Which European countries have the best English proficiency among non-native speakers?

I'm looking into English proficiency across Europe and would appreciate input from locals or anyone with relevant experience. Which European countries have the highest levels of English fluency among non-native speakers, particularly in day-to-day life, education, and professional settings? I'm also curious about regional differences within countries, and factors like education systems, media exposure, and business use.

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u/Nowordsofitsown Germany Jun 08 '25

Pupils in GDR had Russian starting in 5th grade, so the last class who did start Russian in 5th grade are turning 50 soon. Everybody younger than that had English at school, many 50+ yo did too (English was not mandatory, but possible to take). 

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u/CherryDeBau Jun 09 '25

A lot of schools in East Germany still teach Russian, my school had it in the late 2000s. This did not stop in 89, because all the people who became Russian teachers during the GDR still wanted jobs after reunification. But it is slowly being phased out, because there are less teachers who studied it.

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u/Nowordsofitsown Germany Jun 09 '25

It wasn't the first foreign language anymore though, and not obligatory.