EF EPI

Worldwide English Proficiency Index Reveals Growing Gender Gap Trend, Declining English Skills Among Young Adults

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
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ZURICH, Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EF Education First (EF) today released the 2023 edition of its EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), the largest international survey of adult English skills.  The index, calculated from the test results of 2.2 million non-native English speakers in 113 countries and regions, reveals a concerning decline in youth English proficiency over the past five years and a growing gender gap.

Key Points: 
  • ZURICH, Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EF Education First (EF) today released the 2023 edition of its EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), the largest international survey of adult English skills.
  • The index, calculated from the test results of 2.2 million non-native English speakers in 113 countries and regions, reveals a concerning decline in youth English proficiency over the past five years and a growing gender gap.
  • We look forward to continuing our examination of English proficiency trends over time, as we did for the first time this year."
  • The gender gap is widening, with men's English improving (+14 points) and women's declining (-19 points since 2014).

Worldwide English Proficiency Index Reveals Growing Gender Gap Trend, Declining English Skills Among Young Adults

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
EF EPI, Kate, Education, Index, EF Standard English Test, EPI, Language, EF, EF Education First, School, Travel, Parity, News, Tourism, English

ZURICH, Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EF Education First (EF) today released the 2023 edition of its EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), the largest international survey of adult English skills.  The index, calculated from the test results of 2.2 million non-native English speakers in 113 countries and regions, reveals a concerning decline in youth English proficiency over the past five years and a growing gender gap.

Key Points: 
  • ZURICH, Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EF Education First (EF) today released the 2023 edition of its EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), the largest international survey of adult English skills.
  • The index, calculated from the test results of 2.2 million non-native English speakers in 113 countries and regions, reveals a concerning decline in youth English proficiency over the past five years and a growing gender gap.
  • We look forward to continuing our examination of English proficiency trends over time, as we did for the first time this year."
  • The gender gap is widening, with men's English improving (+14 points) and women's declining (-19 points since 2014).

The Netherlands, Singapore, and Austria Top EF's Global English Proficiency Index

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Kate Bell, Central, City, Woman, Union, EF Standard English Test, EF Education First, EF, School, Travel, Education, EPI, EF EPI, Language, News, Tourism

ZURICH, Nov. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EF Education First (EF) today released the 2022 edition of its EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), analyzing data from 2.1 million non-native English speakers in 111 countries and regions. The Netherlands retained first place, while Singapore surged to second, cracking the top three again since becoming the first ASEAN nation to do so in 2018. 

Key Points: 
  • ZURICH, Nov. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EF Education First (EF) today released the 2022 edition of its EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), analyzing data from 2.1 million non-native English speakers in 111 countries and regions.
  • "This year's index reflects the pandemic's impact from a concerning decline in English proficiency among young people to unexpectedly high proficiency outside big cities, which has remote work implications," said EF EPI author Kate Bell.
  • - English proficiency improved for adults over 25, with over 40s improving the most.
  • Proficiency among adults 21 25 was unchanged but declined for the 18-20 cohort by a striking 50 points since 2020.

The Netherlands, Austria and Denmark top EF's Global English Proficiency Ranking

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
EF EPI, EF Standard English Test, Industry, Moderate, Government, Education, Congo, EF English Proficiency Index, EF, Democratic republic, Travel, Index, ASEAN, School, EPI, News, Toy

As worldwide levels of English improve, Scandinavia no longer dominates the top positions of this global ranking.

Key Points: 
  • As worldwide levels of English improve, Scandinavia no longer dominates the top positions of this global ranking.
  • Key findings of the EF EPI 2021 include:
    Europe's English proficiency is consistently strong and climbing, driven in large part by improved proficiency among older adults.
  • On average, most industries do not have strong enough English proficiency to work optimally (Moderate proficiency or higher).
  • Men's English proficiency has outpaced women's for the first time, driven by a rise in men's proficiency levels.

The Netherlands, Austria and Denmark top EF's Global English Proficiency Ranking

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
EF EPI, EF Standard English Test, Industry, Moderate, Government, Education, Congo, EF English Proficiency Index, EF, Democratic republic, Travel, Index, ASEAN, School, EPI, News, Toy

ZURICH, Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EF Education First released today the 2021 edition of its EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), analysing data from two million non-native English speakers in 112 countries and regions. As worldwide levels of English improve, Scandinavia no longer dominates the top positions of this global ranking. The Netherlands held on to its number 1 spot by a comfortable margin.

Key Points: 
  • As worldwide levels of English improve, Scandinavia no longer dominates the top positions of this global ranking.
  • Key findings of the EF EPI 2021 include:
    Europe's English proficiency is consistently strong and climbing, driven in large part by improved proficiency among older adults.
  • On average, most industries do not have strong enough English proficiency to work optimally (Moderate proficiency or higher).
  • Men's English proficiency has outpaced women's for the first time, driven by a rise in men's proficiency levels.