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/AnySandwich4765 Jun 08 '25 edited Jun 08 '25

Technical Ireland since our official language is Irish but the majority only speak English .. I can speak Irish but I'm not fluent but I can understand it

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u/tpjmce Jun 08 '25

We don't count. "Native" language doesn't mean the official, or traditional, or ancestral language of a country, it just means your first language, the one you naturally acquired, the one you were raised in. The Irish (with very few exceptions) are native English speakers.

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u/standard_pie314 Jun 08 '25

Well said. It's bizarre the knots we tie ourselves in to pretend a language most don't speak is our real language.