EF Education First, the international education company, has published what it claims is “the world’s first index to compare the English-language ability of adults in different countries”. Based on free online tests completed by 2m adults around the world, the index ranks 44 countries according to their English language proficiency. You can read the full report here. And take a test here.
ALSO SEE
• China: better English students than India? (Financial Times)
• Scandinavians at the Top, Russia, Turkey and South American Countries Score Low in English Language Skills (PR Newswire)
• Who speaks English? (The Economist)
COMMENT
EF admits that its rankings—which are based on the results of voluntary, free online tests used as a marketing tool for its English courses—are scarcely a measure of the linguistic skills of the entire population. At best, the index measures “the English skills of adults who aspire to have better English”—already a self-selected class. Still, it's encouraging to see that France, for once, didn't do too badly (17th, to be exact). Which country do you think was N° 1? Find out here. (Clue: It begins with 'N'.)

