Netherlands Ranked 3rd Best in the World at English

The Dutch have one of the highest proficiency in English as a second language in the world, according to the new English Proficiency Index (EPI) published by Education First.

The Netherlands, which finished second last year, has dropped by one spot to third place in the study, carried out by education company Education First.

The organisation tested 1.7 billion people from 54 non-English countries. Only the Swedish and the Danish had a better command of the English language, the study showed. The EPI also suggests that good English proficiency is linked to the economic prosperity of a country.

“Our index shows that there is a connection between high English proficiency and high export levels, high innovation and a high gross national product in a country,” said Petra Cubretovic of Education First. “It demonstrates how important it is to have a good command of the leading global business language.”

Education First carried out various English tests between 2009 and 2012. In the Netherlands more than 5000 people participated in the study. The Netherlands was the only country in which both men and women had the same English proficiency. In most other countries, women scored better than men.

Source: Education First, www.ef.nl