by Olly RichardsNow I know you’re probably gonna fight with me on this, but this list, in this order, is the truth: the 13 countries that speak the best English. Non-native of course.
And if you don’t agree, just blame EF's English Proficiency Index, the world’s largest ranking of countries and regions by English skills. This post is based on data from 2022.
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If you prefer watching videos to reading, hit play on the video version of this post below. Otherwise, keep scrolling to discover the countries that speak the best English.
#13 Luxembourg
One of the world’s smallest countries has one of the grandest names: The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg!
It’s multicultural, full of travellers, and the locals seem to grow up as polyglots, learning 3, 4 or even 5 languages at school.
Yes! And English is one of those languages.
But maybe the teachers don’t mind the challenge.
#12 South Africa
What? South Africa? Okay, obviously I’m lying. Everyone knows South Africa is an English-speaking country.
But even South African presidents sometimes struggle to get their tongue around the English language.
Purple? That’s a problem, alright.
Truth is, only 8 % of South Africans speak English as a first language.
For most, it’s a second, or even third language.
And since the quality of English education in many public schools is really low, it’s impressive that they made this list!
And in everyday life, the second-language speakers do a pretty good job.
#11 Germany
When little Germans are 6 and sent off to school, they know they’re going to be taught English.
And it’s no laughing matter.
Germans are schooled quite rigorously in English!
Luckily, they get a giant cone full of treats to take the edge off.
Anyway, Germans finish high school with a really good theoretical grasp of English.
But how good they actually are at speaking depends on how much fun they have practising.
Now, if you’re wondering how the English Proficiency Index test works, you should know that the EPI is taken online, and tests your reading and listening skills.
It measures whether you can recognise implied meaning and nuances of expressions. Easy if you’re a native speaker… not so easy if you’re not!
#10 Croatia
Beyond their borders, Croatians have little use for their own language. So learning English is a necessity these days, and they do it well.
English is compulsory in Croatian schools. And people I’ve chatted with say that in the big cities up to 90% of people can speak English!
But watch this space, because Croatia recently introduced a digital nomad residence permit. And that’s gonna bring in a LOT more English speakers for the Croats!
#9 Finland
When you have to sit in a sauna for 8 months just to keep warm, you have plenty of time to practise your English.
But there’s another way Finns don’t only warm up, but also get lots of English practice.
Finns LOVE their heavy metal and many of the top Nordic metal bands sing in excellent English.
They’re so popular around the world, that the opposite is also true: thousands of English fans are trying to learn Finnish!
#8 Sweden
Ok these guys are basically singing when they speak Swedish, so if you hear a Swede singing in English, they might just be trying to talk to you!
The sing-song sound is because Swedish has a pitch accent.
Now, Swedish schools are big on equal opportunity for all, and English is compulsory. But when they leave school, young Swedes are encouraged to be international and adventurous.
It’s no wonder they’re singing their way through English!
#7 Portugal
Aha! There IS a Latin country that’s really good at English.
But when your country is close to Britain and you have stunning beaches and gigantic waves it’s impossible to NOT be saturated with English expats and surfers.
And that means easy learning opportunities – at least in the sexy hotspots.
But most English speakers in Portugal are professionals.
And with English as a global language, it’s this access to work that makes English such an important language for people to learn.
#6 Belgium
You’ve got to love a country that breaks the boring rules of society!
As of February 2022, new Belgian passports now feature images of Tintin and the Smurfs.
I am not even joking.
And if Tintin and the Smurfs can speak English, as we know they do, why not the rest of Belgium, too?
Only 0,2% of the world lives here, and half of them are foreigners. So people are very interconnected and hear English all the time.
But the average Belgian speaks at least 2 or 3 languages, often 4 or 5, so I can see why they’re number 6!
#5 Norway
They eat reindeer and walk around with chewing tobacco under their lips – even the women – but you don’t get to number 5 without being just a little weird.
If you think about it, Norway being amazing at English makes complete sense.
The Norse languages had a huge influence on English after the whole Vikings saga 1000 years ago.
#4 Singapore
Singapore wins hands-down for most efficient English, in my book.
Ok, technically that’s Singlish, which is English hugely influenced by Mandarin, Tamil, some other languages and, well, efficiency!
Let’s see it in action…
Singapore is a cosmopolitan city, jam-packed with expats and English is the de facto second language.
Do you think it matters that they’re actually speaking a creole?
Well, the government thinks so.
In 2000 they launched a campaign that’s intentionally countering the usage of “Singlish”.
It’s called the “Speak Good English Movement”.
#3 Denmark
Danes are obsessed with cycling, no matter what the weather.
But when people say Danes aren’t friendly to foreigners, they’re just tapping into the wrong obsession. Beer drinking is a way to bond with Danes. Pint please!
Fun fact: in mediaeval times, the water was so dangerous to drink, that Danes drank beer instead. Perhaps that explains a few things.
I mean, you have to stay hydrated when you cycle everywhere!
Denmark is also famous for their excellent publicly funded schools with small class sizes. And like all Scandinavians, they’re taught English.
Excited for number 2?
Well, English is one of their favourite things…
#2 Austria
Real Austrians don't sound like Maria Von Trapp though! Listen to an authentic Austrian accent in English below.
That’s better. Well, this is a Viennese accent, to be precise.
In Vienna, even the German is different from the rest of the country.
Why are they so good at English?
Maybe because Austria has these free bookshelves scattered around the city, and plenty of those books are English ones.
So whoever you are, you get free access to English books! Speaking of books, why not check out my short story books for language learners.
Also, schools have been teaching their kids English since World War II ended, so the grandparents are practically bilingual.
Drum roll…
Want to find out who is the MOST smoking hot at English?
#1 Netherlands
Yep, they all live in windmills and can roll joints in the shape of a tulip.
But have you heard a Dutch person speaking English?
Not too bad!
But Dutch people have always been globetrotters – since the old seafarer days.
In fact, many Dutch students do gap year internships and volunteer in English speaking countries.
So contrats, Netherlands!
The Countries That Speak The Best English
So there you have it – the 13 countries that speak the best English. But it’s not just these 13 countries that speak great English.
Much of the world uses English to get stuff done.
Bu that doesn't mean that you shouldn't learn a new language. In fact you can make your life easier by learning the easiest languages for English speakers.
If you fancy a challenge, you can also take a look at the hardest languages to learn.
And no matter which language you start learning, you can make the journey a lot more easy, effective and fun by using the StoryLearning method.
