Belgium climbs to ninth place in English proficiency report

In the fourth edition of the Education First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) released today, Belgium moved up from 13th to ninth place, reports metrotime.be. The EF EPI examines the English language skills of 750,000 adults from 63 countries, revealing wide gaps in English skills across the world.

Belgium scores high on the list, at ninth place. Notably, women score better than men in English proficiency and Dutch-speakers generally score better than French-speakers.

The index also reveals that the English language is an important indicator of the economic competitiveness of a country. Adults in Denmark are the world’s best non-native English speakers, followed by the Netherlands and Sweden.

"English is a powerful platform for professional, cultural, and economic exchange,” confirms Dr. Christopher McCormick, Senior Vice president for Academic Affairs at EF. “The EF EPI has inspired conversations about the importance of language education around the world and continues to do so."