For the fifth year in a row, our beloved NL snatched up the title as the number one country with the highest English proficiency. Which came as a shock…
…to absolutely no one.
This year, the EF English Proficiency Index set about ranking 113 countries to determine which one is the most proficient in the English language.
*drum roll* The Netherlands came in first place. 🇳🇱
Are Dutchies TOO good at English?
Many were unfazed by this result, given it’s well-known that Dutchies have a firm grip on the English lexicon. 🗣💪
READ MORE | Why are the Dutch so good at speaking English?
Many internationals even blame the Dutch population’s smooth ability to transition into English for the fact that they can’t pick up the local language.
There were a total of 2.2 billion test takers, with the median age being 26 years old and 55% of the participants identifying as female, EF reports.
Interested to see if your country landed among the top 10? Check out the results in the table below!
| Ranking | Country |
|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands |
| 2 | Singapore |
| 3 | Austria |
| 4 | Denmark |
| 5 | Norway |
| 6 | Sweden |
| 7 | Belgium |
| 8 | Portugal |
| 9 | South Africa |
| 10 | Germany |
Communication and innovation
You might be wondering, what’s so good about being able to speak English anyway?
Well, aside from allowing you to communicate with clueless internationals, English proficiency has a correlation with “economic balance, productivity, and potential”, according to EF’s findings.
Also, since innovation is apparently dependent “on the frictionless flow of ideas”, the Dutch’s ability to communicate well with other nations might explain why they’re so darn innovative. 🤔
So much for making the Netherlands “Dutch again”. 🤷♀️
Why do you think the Dutch are so good at speaking English? Share your theories in the comments below!