Brussels 13/11/2024 08:21 (BELGA)
Flemings are among the best non-native English-speakers in the world, according to the international EF English Proficiency Index. However, Belgium's level as a whole has fallen for the third year in a row.
Flemish among world's most proficient English-speakers, global study shows
Colin Clapson
Published:
EF Education First offers English language assessments using the European reference framework, which ranges from A1, meaning limited knowledge, to C2, mother tongue level. Its ranking is based on the scores of 2.1 million people in 116 countries, who took its online exam in 2023.
The results show that Flanders is among the regions and countries with the most proficient non-native English-speakers in the world, scoring 653 points. However, taken as a whole, Belgium ranks only 13th in the world and 11th in Europe. Its total of 592 points is a drop of 16 from last year.
In Wallonia, the score is 526 points, two points less than Italy and two above France. The steepest decline across the country was in the 18-20 age group. Looked at by province, Belgium's best results were in Antwerp and the weakest in Luxembourg Province. Leuven was the most proficient city, with bilingual Brussels ranked fourth in Belgium and 27th in the world. Liège is the highest ranked city in Wallonia.
The Netherlands tops the list with 636 points, followed by Norway and Singapore. The level of English proficiency has declined for the fourth year running, with 60 per cent of countries in the index scoring lower this year than last.