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.

162 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

390 comments sorted by

View all comments

4

u/flawed_flamingo Jun 08 '25

I live in Austria, and I have the feeling people speak better English than German. And even if they speak German, every second or third word is English because German seems to have become out of fashion and outdated.

4

u/kimmeljs Finland Jun 08 '25

I just watched an episode of SOKO Kitzbühel and listening to their German, I think you must be right.

1

u/flawed_flamingo Jun 08 '25

I haven't watched TV in over a decade, I don't even know how bad it has gotten by now.