Vietnam 31st among 72 countries in English skills

Vietnam was ranked 31^st among 72 countries regarding English language skills in the EF English Proficiency Index (EPI), prepared from the latest research by EF Education First, a global language training company, and released on November 15.

Vietnam behind only Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines in ASEAN regarding English speakers, according to an index from EF Education First.

Last year Vietnam was ranked 29^th out of 70 surveyed countries.

The global survey of 950,000 adults across 72 countries and territories links English proficiency with income, innovation, and quality of life.

Adults in the Netherlands are the best non-native English speakers in the world, followed by those in Denmark and Sweden. Laos, Libya, and Iraq occupy the bottom of the rankings. “In a volatile global economy, English proficiency is one of the few skills with proven ability to generate opportunities and strengthen employability,” said Minh N. Tran, EF Director of Research.

“It takes a great deal of effort and investment to steer a country or company towards a future with an English-speaking workforce. The EF EPI addresses these challenges and prompts global discussions about the best practices in language education.”

For the first time, an Asian country, Singapore, is in the highest proficiency band. Malaysia and the Philippines are also in the top 15 countries worldwide. English proficiency in Europe remains the strongest in the world by a wide margin, while countries in the Middle East and North Africa continue to occupy the lowest ranks.

Of all the regions surveyed, Latin America is the only region that experienced a decline in English proficiency in the past year. Countries making the most progress in English proficiency include France, Qatar, and Singapore, with countries seeing the steepest declines including Iraq, Japan, and Peru.

Young adults aged 18-25 have the strongest English proficiency worldwide, although some countries have markedly different national trends. Women have stronger English skills than men in almost all countries and age groups.

English proficiency remains a key indicator of economic competitiveness at both the individual and national levels. Higher English proficiency correlates with higher incomes, better quality of life, greater connectivity, and more dynamic business environments.

A companion to the EF EPI, the EF EPI for Companies (EF EPI-c), was also released a few days ago. The EF EPI-c is an evaluation of global workforce English skills, surveying 510,000 professionals from 40 countries and 16 industries. The report finds that executives lag behind their employees in English skills, and that workforce English scores for countries correlate positively with indicators of global innovation, government transparency, and ease of doing business.

Millions of participants took part in this year’s research by completing the EF Standard English Test (EFSET), the world’s first free standardized English test. The EFSET was launched in order to serve the world’s 2 billion English language learners, who previously lacked a free, high-quality self-assessment tool. The EFSET also provides schools, companies, and governments with convenient, large-scale testing solutions.

EF Education First is an international education company focusing on language, academics, education travel, and cultural experience. Established in 1965 with the mission of opening up the world through education, it has more than 500 schools and offices in over 50 countries.
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