Countries That Are Most And Least Proficient In English (2023)

FAQs

Which European country speaks the least English? ›

It is believed that there are around 230 million native speakers in the United States, making it the largest English-speaking country, while the United Kingdom has approximately 60 million native speakers.

According to the latest census data, over 91% of people in the US speak English very well. 8.2% of people do not speak English “very well”, though this statistic doesn't mean that they are completely non-English speakers.

About half of LEP individuals resided in three states: California, Texas, and New York. Nearly one in five residents in California was LEP. Approximately 94 percent of LEP individuals resided in metropolitan areas.

Five of the largest of these are sometimes described as the "core Anglosphere"; they are the United States of America (with at least 231 million native English speakers), the United Kingdom (60 million), Canada (19 million), Australia (at least 17 million), and New Zealand (4.8 million).

The average American reads at the 7th- to 8th-grade level, according to The Literacy Project. Medical information for the public should be written at no higher than an eighth-grade reading level, according to the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A mammoth list of English speaking countries. English is the official language of 67 different countries and 27 non-sovereign entities around the world. But apart from that, English is also spoken in many countries where it's not an official language.

Possibly the cheapest English-speaking country to live in is South Africa. Not only can you get by without having to go to language school, but most South African cities also have a high standard of living, similar to Western cities, which will make the transition much easier.

Scandanavia/Northern Europe

While we have already discussed that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland are some of the top English speaking countries, we shouldn't forget that Germany and Belgium are very high up the list, with over 62% of the population in Germany being English speakers and 61% in Belgium!

English remains an official EU language, despite the United Kingdom having left the EU. It remains an official and working language of the EU institutions as long as it is listed as such in Regulation No 1. English is also one of Ireland's and Malta's official languages.

Which country has the most clear English? ›

The Netherlands has emerged as the nation with the highest English language proficiency, according to the EF English Proficiency Index, with a score of 72.

English is taught in Scandinavian schools from a young age. As soon as children have mastered reading and writing their native tongue, English is introduced.

The United States has 309 million English speakers. India has 1.25 billion English speakers; about 4 times more English speakers than the USA… Thus, India is the answer to the question in the title of this post: Which country has more English speakers than the USA?

1) California

A whopping 45 percent of California's inhabitants speak a language other than English in the home. California is well-known for its Hispanic population and, just as Spanish is the second most popular language in the US as a whole, it's also the second most-spoken language in the state.

In total, almost 66 million people speak a language that is not English at home in the US; that's around 21.6% of the population. Many of these people are bilingual in English and another language.

Spanish is now the most popular second language of the country. America is home to the largest population of English speakers in the world, but bilingualism has been on the rise in the country for decades – a trend that shows no signs of letting up.

What percentage of the world speaks English? Roughly 13% of the world speaks the English language. While less than 5% speaks English natively, the number of people who speak English as a second language make it one of the most widely spoken people in the world.

Alabama ranked Maryland and the surrounding area as having the “most correct” English, which means there's something else going on here.

Well, according to the survey, there are only 30% of people in Japan who speak English. Though Japan is a vast and strong country, it is still behind in English literacy as compared to other countries.

In which countries is English the mother tongue? ›

The "Three Circles" of English

The Inner Circle — The smallest circle, this section includes countries in which English is the native language of the majority of the population: mainly the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, and much of Canada.

The American accent is quite simple and easy to talk to . The grammar and the style of English is different from British English . It is easy to comprehend and quite easy to follow .

What level of English is needed to study at a university in the United States? If you want to study at a university in the United States, you must obtain a visa, which will depend, in part, on being able to communicate in the language with a minimum level of English of B2 .

The Netherlands

They have a reputation for having an excellent level of English. A study by international Educational company EF Education First found that the Dutch are the best non native English speakers in the world with over 90% of the population speaking the language!

English is in common use in Japan with Chinese and Korean also becoming more common meaning that you can certainly get around without using Japanese. This is most true in the big cities and in areas frequented by foreign visitors. But as you move outside of the cities, foreign languages will quickly dry-up.

Where is the safest English speaking country to live? Singapore. Singapore is a country where you can find political stability as well as safety, as there is a low crime rate there. You can also find people from various nationalities already living there.

Portugal consistently tops lists of the best places for expats to live, and in fact, the number of Americans living in Portugal rose 45% in 2021, according to government data.

Can you live in USA without speaking English? ›

While it is extremely helpful to speak English when you live in the United States, not all immigrants are required to learn English to come to the U.S. In fact, the United States does not have a national language. Interestingly, you don't even necessarily need to know English to become a nationalized citizen.

Montenegro is popularly known as one of the cheapest place to live in Europe that speak English and has a higher percentage of English-speaking population. If you are someone, who is not interested in learning a new language to move to a new EU country, Montenegro is for you.

However, the closest major language to English, is Dutch. With 23 million native speakers, and an additional 5 million who speak it as a second language, Dutch is the 3rd most-widely spoken Germanic language in the world after English and German.

There is no such thing as linguistic decline, so far as the expressive capacity of the spoken or written word is concerned. We need not fear a breakdown in communication. Our language will always be as flexible and sophisticated as it has been up to now.

Finnish is the dark horse of languages found in Europe and one of the hardest worldwide.

According to the Lok Foundation survey, English is far more an urban than a rural phenomenon; just 3% of rural respondents said that they could speak English, as against 12% of urban respondents. There is a clear class element at work—41% of the rich could speak English as against less than 2% of the poor.

Spanish (548+ million speakers)

Spanish is the second most widely spoken language globally in terms of native speakers. In addition, it is the most spoken of the Romance languages and the third most used on the internet.

These include China, The Gambia, Malawi, Colombia, Swaziland, Brazil, Russia, Argentina, Algeria, Uganda, Yemen, Chile and Tanzania.

Level C1 corresponds to users who can express themselves fluently and spontaneously. They can use language flexibly and effectively for all purposes.

Is C2 native? ›

A C2 level of English is essentially a native level. It allows for reading and writing of any type on any subject, nuanced expression of emotions and opinions, and active participation in any academic or professional setting.

Pakistan has the third largest number of English speakers in the world at 108,036,049 speakers. The English spoken in Pakistan is a variation of the language and is called Pakistani English or Paklish. About 27% of the Pakistani population speaks English as a first language while 58% speak English as a second language.

According to a UNESCO survey, Bengali has been classified as the sweetest language in the world. As a language, Bengali is widely spoken all over India, including Assam and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The sweetest language in the world is also recognized in the Constitution of India.

1. English – 1,121 million speakers. It is the most widely spoken language in the world because of the global impact of England and the United States in the last three centuries.