Croatians ranked 13th best non-native English speakers in the world

Zagreb (Photo: D. Rostuhrar/Zagreb TZ)

Croatians have ranked 13th best among non-native English speakers in the world with ‘high proficiency’ in the EF English Proficiency Index Ranking of 100 Countries and Regions by English Skills report.

Croatia jumped one place from last year’s report when they were ranked 14th. 

The EF English Proficiency Index Ranking of 100 Countries and Regions by English Skills report investigated how and where English proficiency is developing around the world.

To create the 2020 edition of the EF English Proficiency Index, the results of 2.2 million adults who took their English tests in 2019 were analyzed.

The Netherlands was in the number one spot on the 2020 index, followed by Denmark and Finland. Singapore and South Africa were the only non-European nations in the top 15. 

When it comes to cities, Copenhagen tops the ranking and broken down by gender, women surpass men in the knowledge of English.

“More than a billion people speak English as a first or second language, and hundreds of millions more as a third or fourth. For expanding businesses, young graduates, scientists and researchers, and international tourists, English proficiency broadens horizons, lowers barriers, and speeds information exchange. The incentives to learn English have never been greater,” the report said. 

Top 15 Countries 

1. The Netherlands
2. Denmark
3. Finland
4. Sweden
5. Norway
6. Austria
7. Portugal
8. Germany
9. Belgium 
10. Singapore
11. Luxembourg
12. South Africa
13. CROATIA 
14. Hungary
15. Serbia