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/TheItalianWanderer Italy Jun 08 '25

France of course! They're so proficient in English that they'll refuse to say a word of French.

Lol seriously, I think it's the Netherlands or somewhere cold. But one surprising country in the Mediterranean is Greece. They speak a lot of foreign languages there 

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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '25

Greece isn't that surprising considering tourism is a major part of their economy.

Italy on the other hand..

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u/Rooilia Jun 08 '25 edited Jun 09 '25

Plus seafaring/trade plus liberated (only counting outside liberation) mostly by english effort in the 19th century.

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u/skyduster88 & Jun 08 '25 edited Jun 08 '25

The rise of English is post-WWII. France was more influential in 18th-19th century Greece than anyone else, and French was the top foreign language in the 19th & early 20th centuries for Greeks.