Zurich, Switzerland – November 19, 2025. EF (Education First), the global provider of culturally immersive education, released the 2025 edition of its EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), the world’s most comprehensive annual ranking of adult English skills across 123 countries and regions.
“English remains the world’s most widely shared language for international communication. In a time of growing global complexity, its role as a common bridge between cultures, economies, and ideas is more important than ever”
The EF EPI 2025 is based on data from 2.2 million EF Skills Evaluation Technology (EF SET) test takers worldwide. EF SET is the world’s largest free English test for both individuals and organizations – making robust language evaluation accessible to millions.
Key Findings
- Top performers: The Netherlands remains #1, followed by Croatia and Austria – which improved their rankings. Germany climbed to #4 with one of the biggest gains in Europe.
- Speaking remains a global challenge: In over half of the countries measured, speaking is the weakest English skill.
- Skill gaps are widespread: Most countries show significant differences between English skills, especially those with higher overall proficiency. However, which skill ranks strongest, or weakest, varies by country – suggesting no skill is inherently more difficult than others.
- Gender gap narrows: The gender gap is narrowing in most parts of the world, although it widened slightly in the Middle East.
- Youth proficiency falls short: Contrary to expectations, adults under 25 are not rebounding post-pandemic. In many countries, they score lower than older age groups.
- Regional highlights: Europe plateaued; Asia showed the narrowest skill gap; Latin America posted the widest age disparity; Africa remained the most varied.
English Proficiency in Belgium
Belgium is ranked ninth this year in the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) of EF (Education First), which compares the level of English in 123 countries and regions.
The Netherlands leads the list with 624 points, ahead of Croatia (2nd with 617 points) and Austria (3rd with 616 points). Belgium rises from 13th to ninth place with a score of 608, compared to a score of 592 last year.
EF, which offers culturally immersive education through language, travel, cultural exchange, and academic programs in over 100 countries, has been publishing the EF EPI since 2011. Worldwide, 2.2 million adults took this EF SET-online test this year, including 6,895 Belgians. This year, in addition to listening comprehension and reading, the test also assessed how well people speak and write English on a large scale for the first time, using AI.
"Belgium’s strong performance reflects a long-standing culture of multilingualism and international openness. Climbing back into the global Top 10 shows how resilient Belgian learners are, even in a year when the introduction of speaking and writing skills to the assessment tended to shift scores slightly downward, especially for high proficiency countries. English remains essential for employability and global competitiveness, and Belgium is exceptionally well positioned for the future."
Brussels: 26th Place Among the Capitals
The score for knowledge of English in Brussels (588 points) is good for 26th place in the ranking of the capitals. Copenhagen (644), Vienna (634) and Stockholm (633) are on stage. We also see Amsterdam (4th with 630), Berlin (6th with 625) and Paris (30th with 583). Harare (Zimbabwe) is the best-scoring non-European capital with 610 points – in 14th place.
Young People Score the Weakest
Remarkably, Belgian young people between the ages of 18 and 20 score the lowest of the different age groups (593 points). The 21-25-year-olds (643) and the 31-40-year-olds (638) score best, a trend that has been evident for years. The difference in skill between men and women is very small. Men have a score of 611 this year, women achieve an average of 606 points, which is an improvement on their score of last year for both groups.
Speaking and Writing English is Less Easy
A striking observation is that speaking and writing are slightly more difficult than reading and listening for Belgians. Although the number of tests for these 'productive' skills was lower, there are large differences in the mastery of the different skills, especially in countries with a higher general skill. However, which skill is strongest or weakest varies by country, suggesting that no skill is inherently more difficult than others.
In all top 10 countries, including Belgium, the results for speaking and writing are slightly downwards. Leader the Netherlands even sees its score drop by seven points, Croatia by nine points and Austria by five points. The Belgian score drops by one point.
About the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI):
The EF EPI is the world's most comprehensive annual ranking of English skills for adults in 123 countries and regions. It is based on data from 2.2 million EF Skills Evaluation Technology (EF SET) test takers worldwide, including almost 7,000 Belgians. The EF SET is the world's largest free English test for individuals and organizations. It classifies the language proficiency of test takers according to the six levels established by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This year tests were carried out on reading, listening, and for the first time also on speaking and writing.
Founded in 1965, EF (Education First) is a global association of education companies that share a common mission to open the world through education, offering language, academic, and cultural exchange, and educational travel programs. For more information, click here.
EF English Proficiency Index 2025 Launched: Belgium Breaks Into the Global Top Ten