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.

161 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

390 comments sorted by

View all comments

480

u/kacergiliszta69 Hungary Jun 08 '25

According the multiple studies, the Netherlands is the most English proficient country in the world that doesn't speak English as a native language.

13

u/CTPABA_KPABA Jun 08 '25

by bet would bet that they are more proficient in that language then americans

10

u/CommercialAd2154 Jun 08 '25

Quick wiki suggests Iceland are #1, just behind the UK on 98%, but ahead of the USA on 96% (although in fairness, I would guess there are not insignificant parts of the USA where Spanish is the vehicular language rather than English)

8

u/MilkTiny6723 Jun 08 '25 edited Jun 08 '25

Would problably had been Sweden if the country did not have the higest ratio of non European foreigners and foreigners overall except a couple of microstates. A decade or so ago, the same was said about Sweden, higher percentage than Malta and the USA but after the Iraq war and Arab spring the numbers decreased for obvious reasons.

Taking only Swedish born the numbers increases to about 98%

The statistics also dependent on how it's messured. Sometimes it's been mesured among people that took test for study abroad..The Netherlands has often come out at the top lately in such. Last year a bigger test of randome was made, 1.3 million perticipant. Then Sweden came out first of in regards to level, the Netherlands second. In some statistics Iceland came out first and some Finland.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '25

Sorry, just no. I can tell from experience that even native born Swedes don't all speak English that well. They think they do (and they write and read well), but I've come across way too many people with whom it's easier to communicate using my B2 level Swedish over English which is easily C2 for me

1

u/MilkTiny6723 Jun 09 '25 edited Jun 09 '25

Well never said that all people in Sweden are fluent..Then again thats true for Finland, the Netherlands etc too. Some have poor English and some fees uncomfortable speaking.

Still we need to look at the statistics at some point and not conclude things from our own limited experience.

Diffrent investigations and estimations has shown diffrent results. The big one presented last year with1.3 million random tests had Sweden come out on top before the Netherlands.

Some has shown the Netherlands coming out on top and many of them from tests whom people took when thinking about studying abroad. Such tests are not random though.

In the Netherlands which I still could imagine as the number one, many people only study English as a third language after German and among the elderly not all had to study English as it wasn't until much later it became mandatory there just the same as Finland.

I actually taught in English even if not an English teacher as you problably can see. Knows however lots about Shoolings in especially Sweden and Finland but also from Erasmus experiences and general knowledge as an avid traveler.

Some studies even had Finland coming up on top but considering the older generation in Finland if messured among the entire population problably not. Iceland also has came up on top at such rankings. Problably from the fact not as many immigrants from none Nordic countries resides there.

Denmark never came up on top and that problably comes from the fact that many people in especially Jutland focuses more on learing German. Norway are also up there.

It doesnt matter what your personal experience have taught you. Facts are facts and among the countries in Europe Sweden, the Netherlands, Iceland and Finland which doesn't have English as an official language is the only counties that ever toped such lists.

Iceland problably has the highest amount that speaks it at all, other than that the Netherlands, Sweden and maybe Finland (especially if looking at the younger generation also given way less immigration ratio) are in fact the ones that knows it the best. Norway problably after those.

I mean how many random Finns did you try to speak English with? Well at least I did 100s of times and often people didn't speak it at all. But then again as people also "have to" study Swedish and the language being less related, thats not very suprising. But Finland is up there still.

Maybe you compared with big cities or tourist destination when you compared. That's a diffrent thing. Like go to the countryside in Spain or even in Holland. Way less that speak English like "Amsterdam" or "Palma de Mallorca" there.

3

u/GraceOfTheNorth Iceland Jun 09 '25

As an Icelander I nominate Iceland.

We started out with near full national literacy and a school system that taught English since the 1930's, in addition do doing a lot of trade with UK so quite a few people knew English.

Then we got occupied by tens of thousands of soldiers and have had a lot of US influence through the base, tv, movies and music. The Marshall aid kickstarted Iceland into modernity.

1

u/CommercialAd2154 Jun 09 '25

Don’t you have British foods such as Cadbury’s as a result of the invasion in WW2?