Best English-Speaking Countries for Business

Thomas | Posted on 19/11/2024 |

The Importance of English Proficiency in Attracting International Business

In today’s globalized economy, English proficiency plays a pivotal role in attracting international business. Countries with a high level of English proficiency are more likely to attract foreign investment, establish trade relationships, and participate in the global marketplace. The EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) provides valuable insights into the English proficiency levels of countries around the world, helping businesses make informed decisions about where to expand or establish operations.

Key Findings from the EF EPI 2024 Report

The EF EPI 2024 report reveals several key findings regarding global English proficiency levels. These findings can help businesses better understand the global landscape and make strategic decisions about where to conduct business.

Netherlands, Norway, and Singapore lead the way. These countries have consistently ranked among the top in English proficiency, indicating a strong foundation for international business communication and collaboration.
Europe Dominates: European countries continue to hold the top spots in English proficiency, demonstrating a strong commitment to language education and a multilingual environment conducive to English acquisition. Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Vienna lead the city rankings, reinforcing Europe’s position as a hub for strong English skills. At the same time, Europe’s English proficiency has declined slightly.
Asia’s English proficiency is declining. This trend could have implications for businesses seeking to operate in the region, as effective communication is essential for success. It is primarily driven by drops in India and China. This trend could impact businesses relying on English for communication and collaboration within the region.
Latin America’s English proficiency has plateaued. After years of steady improvement, the region’s average English proficiency has remained stable. This suggests that businesses may need to consider language training programs to ensure effective communication with local teams.
African women continue to improve in English proficiency. This trend could have a positive impact on businesses seeking to diversify their workforce and tap into the growing talent pool in Africa.
Public Sector Lags: A significant gap exists between English proficiency in the public and private sectors, with public sector workers lagging behind. This disparity could hinder government effectiveness in international collaborations and negotiations.
Al’s Emerging Role: The report acknowledges the potential of AI to transform English language learning, offering personalized feedback and practice opportunities. This presents exciting possibilities for future language education.
The EF EPI 2024 report also highlights a persistent gender gap in English proficiency. In 40 countries, men’s English proficiency is significantly higher than women’s. This gap is widest in the youngest age cohort (14 points) and narrows progressively as age increases.

Global Country and City Rankings

The following data tables show the complete country and city rankings from the EF EPI 2024 report. These rankings provide a comprehensive overview of global English proficiency levels, helping businesses identify countries and cities with strong English skills. For obvious reasons, the ranking does not include countries where English is the first language, such as the US, UK and Ireland.

The countries with the highest English proficiency

Rank	Country	EF EPI Score	Proficiency Band
1	Netherlands	636	Very High
2	Norway	610	Very High
3	Singapore	609	Very High
4	Sweden	608	Very High
5	Croatia	607	Very High
6	Portugal	605	Very High
7	Denmark	603	Very High
8	Greece	602	Very High
9	Austria	600	Very High
10	Germany	598	Very High
11	South Africa	594	High
12	Romania	593	High
13	Belgium	592	High
14	Finland	590	High
15	Poland	588	High
16	Bulgaria	586	High
17	Hungary	585	High
18	Slovakia	584	High
19	Kenya	581	High
20	Estonia	578	High
21	Luxembourg	576	High
22	Philippines	570	High
23	Lithuania	569	High
24	Serbia	568	High
25	Czechia	567	High
26	Malaysia	566	High
27	Suriname	563	High
28	Argentina	562	High
29	Cyprus	558	High
30	Nigeria	557	High
31	Switzerland	550	High
32	Hong Kong (China)	549	Moderate
33	Honduras	546	Moderate
34	Georgia	543	Moderate
35	Belarus	539	Moderate
36	Spain	538	Moderate
36	Uruguay	538	Moderate
38	Armenia	537	Moderate
39	Moldova	536	Moderate
40	Ukraine	536	Moderate
41	Costa Rica	534	Moderate
41	Ghana	534	Moderate
43	Albania	533	Moderate
44	Russia	532	Moderate
45	Paraguay	531	Moderate
46	Italy	528	Moderate
47	Bolivia	525	Moderate
47	Chile	525	Moderate
49	France	524	Moderate
50	South Korea	523	Moderate
51	Israel	522	Moderate
52	Cuba	520	Moderate
53	Peru	519	Moderate
54	Uganda	518	Moderate
55	El Salvador	513	Moderate
56	Nepal	512	Moderate
57	Venezuela	510	Moderate
58	Guatemala	507	Moderate
59	Nicaragua	505	Moderate
60	Dominican Republic	503	Moderate
61	Bangladesh	500	Moderate
62	Iran	499	Low
63	Ethiopia	498	Low
63	Vietnam	498	Low
65	Turkey	497	Low
66	Tunisia	496	Low
67	Pakistan	493	Low
68	Lebanon	492	Low
69	India	490	Low
70	United Arab Emirates	489	Low
71	Panama	488	Low
72	Tanzania	487	Low
73	Sri Lanka	486	Low
74	Colombia	485	Low
75	Qatar	480	Low
76	Morocco	479	Low
77	Syria	473	Low
78	Algeria	471	Low
79	Mozambique	469	Low
80	Indonesia	468	Low
81	Brazil	466	Low
82	Ecuador	465	Low
82	Egypt	465	Low
84	Mongolia	464	Low
85	Madagascar	463	Low
86	Azerbaijan	462	Low
87	Mexico	459	Low
88	Kyrgyzstan	457	Low
89	Cape Verde	456	Low
89	Kuwait	456	Low
91	China	455	Low
92	Japan	454	Low
93	Myanmar	449	Very Low
94	Palestine	448	Very Low
95	Afghanistan	447	Very Low
95	Malawi	447	Very Low
97	Cameroon	445	Very Low
98	Uzbekistan	439	Very Low
99	Haiti	432	Very Low
99	Sudan	432	Very Low
101	Jordan	431	Very Low
102	Senegal	429	Very Low
103	Kazakhstan	427	Very Low
104	Oman	421	Very Low
105	Saudi Arabia	417	Very Low
106	Thailand	415	Very Low
107	Iraq	414	Very Low
108	Benin	413	Very Low
109	Tajikistan	412	Very Low
110	Angola	409	Very Low
111	Cambodia	408	Very Low
112	Libya	405	Very Low
113	Rwanda	401	Very Low
114	Côte d’Ivoire	399	Very Low
114	Somalia	399	Very Low
116	Yemen	394	Very Low

world map showing percentage english speaking population per country — World map showing percentage of population per country that is English speaking (source: JoJaJuan – CC BY-SA 4.0)

City Rankings

Below is the city ranking from the EF EPI 2024 report:

Rank	City	EF EPI Score	Proficiency Band
1	Amsterdam	657	Very High
2	Copenhagen	633	Very High
3	Vienna	628	Very High
4	Helsinki	627	Very High
5	Lisbon	626	Very High
6	Zagreb	626	Very High
7	Stockholm	617	Very High
8	Berlin	615	Very High
9	Bern	614	Very High
10	Oslo	614	Very High
11	Athens	613	Very High
12	Warsaw	612	Very High
13	Cape Town	609	Very High
14	Budapest	606	Very High
15	Bratislava	604	Very High
16	Bucharest	601	Very High
17	Sofia	601	Very High
18	Prague	596	High
19	Manama	592	High
20	Belgrade	590	High
21	Tallinn	589	High
22	Nairobi	586	High
23	Paris	586	High
24	Vilnius	585	High
25	Buenos Aires	584	High
26	Kuala Lumpur	584	High
27	Brussels	580	High
28	Lagos	578	High
29	Chennai	577	High
30	Paramaribo	569	High
31	Montevideo	567	High
32	Tegucigalpa	563	High
33	Kiev	562	High
34	Seoul	562	High
35	Asunción	560	High
36	San José	557	High
37	Tbilisi	556	High
38	Lima	553	High
39	Madrid	553	High
40	Santiago	552	High
41	Accra	551	High
42	La Paz	551	High
43	Havana	523	Moderate
44	Jakarta	523	Moderate
45	Santo Domingo	522	Moderate
46	Tunis	522	Moderate
47	Quito	521	Moderate
48	Dar es Salaam	520	Moderate
49	Kampala	520	Moderate
50	Beijing	518	Moderate
51	Guatemala City	518	Moderate
52	Managua	517	Moderate
53	Tehran	514	Moderate
54	Bogotá	513	Moderate
55	Rabat	510	Moderate
56	Ankara	505	Moderate
57	Maputo	503	Moderate
58	Bishkek	501	Moderate
59	Minsk	548	Moderate
60	Nicosia	548	Moderate
61	Rome	548	Moderate
62	Tirana	547	Moderate
63	Beirut	544	Moderate
64	Colombo	543	Moderate
65	Yerevan	541	Moderate
66	Moscow	540	Moderate
67	Brasília	538	Moderate
68	Tel Aviv	537	Moderate
69	Dhaka	530	Moderate
70	Islamabad	530	Moderate
71	Caracas	529	Moderate
72	Kathmandu	526	Moderate
73	San Salvador	526	Moderate
74	Algiers	525	Moderate
75	Addis Ababa	524	Moderate
76	Hanoi	524	Moderate
77	Tokyo	496	Low
78	Abu Dhabi	489	Low
79	Panama City	489	Low
80	Doha	485	Low
81	Antananarivo	483	Low
82	Damascus	483	Low
83	Cairo	481	Low
84	Astana	465	Low
85	Kuwait City	465	Low
86	Dakar	464	Low
87	Ulaanbaatar	464	Low
88	Yangon	464	Low
89	Bangkok	463	Low
90	Baku	462	Low
91	Mexico City	462	Low
92	Lilongwe	459	Low
93	Phnom Penh	457	Low
94	Tashkent	457	Low
95	Amman	455	Low
96	Muscat	453	Low
97	Kabul	451	Low
98	Khartoum	442	Very Low
99	Dushanbe	439	Very Low
100	Port-au-Prince	437	Very Low
101	Yaoundé	436	Very Low
102	Cotonou	432	Very Low
103	Praia	429	Very Low
104	Baghdad	427	Very Low
105	Tripoli	421	Very Low
106	Riyadh	416	Very Low
107	Kigali	412	Very Low
108	Luanda	412	Very Low
109	Abidjan	410	Very Low
110	Delhi	406	Very Low
111	Mogadishu	375	Very Low

Conclusion

English proficiency is a critical factor for attracting international business in today’s globalized world. The EF EPI 2024 report provides valuable insights into global English proficiency levels, helping businesses make informed decisions about where to establish or expand operations. By understanding the trends and rankings highlighted in the report, businesses can position themselves for success in the international marketplace.

You can download the full report here. If you are looking for more information on where to start your business, please consult our Business Attraction Index or contact us below.

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