For the third year in a row, Switzerland has fallen down the order of the English Proficiency Index by Education First (EF), dropping out of the top 30 in 2024. While residents of major Swiss cities still demonstrate a high level of English, rural areas and young people are falling further behind.
To see which populations are the best non-mother tongue English speakers, EF, a language course provider, analysed 116 different countries where English is not a first or official language. Each nation in the ranking was given a grade based on average scores in EF’s Standard English Test.
Taken more than 2,1 million times around the world in 2023, the exam analyses reading and listening skills in English. Each country was given a score out of 800 and an average grade in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - the A1 to C2 system used in language certification. If a country were to score 700 points or more, it would mean that an average member of the population is essentially fluent in English.
Having dropped to 29th in 2022 and 30th in 2023, Switzerland has bid a fond farewell to the higher echelons, dropping down to 31st for 2024 with a reduced score of 550. The alpine nation has seen its English proficiency score drop every year since 2020 and is now far behind its neighbours Germany (10th) and Austria (9th), but remains ahead of Italy (46th) and France (49th).
In 2024, the Netherlands retained its crown as having the most proficient English speakers with a slightly reduced score of 636. Norway and Singapore rounded out the podium places.
When it came to Swiss cantons, EF found that among the 18 analysed the most proficient English speakers can be found in German-speaking Switzerland. Basel, Zug, Zurich and Aargau were the highest rated by the study, while Fribourg and Ticino placed at the bottom. In terms of single locations, the city of Zurich was the best-rated.
Speaking to Watson, EF head for French-speaking Switzerland Laurent Morel explained that the difference between regions is due to “educational and cultural components.” When it came to the Swiss school system, "The German-speaking cantons tend to integrate English earlier and more intensively into their school curricula. In Ticino, the emphasis is more on German."
For culture, Morel argued that Germany, France and Italy heavily influence Switzerland’s language regions. With Germany ranked as one of the most proficient countries on Earth for English, it's perhaps no surprise that areas east of the Röstigraben perform better.
EF added that the decline in English skills in Switzerland doesn't exist in a vacuum, with 60 percent of countries analysed seeing falling scores in 2024. In Switzerland, the impact of the COVID pandemic on schools and a rising desire to study other languages like Korean and Japanese rather than learning English, mean young Swiss are the main reason why English scores are falling.
By contrast, Morel noted that English is increasingly used in jobs in Switzerland and among the elderly. Nevertheless, he concluded that "the slow but steady decline in English skills in Switzerland is a warning signal." "English remains an essential skill and we must redouble our efforts to bridge these regional and generational gaps."
In all, here are the 10 countries with the most proficient English speakers in 2024:
For more information about the study, check out the EF website.