This statistic presents the leading European countries by their level of English proficiency as of March 2019. According to data provided by Klazz, Sweden had the highest percentage of people who were proficient in English at ** percent of the population.

Using data from reports such as the "English Proficiency Index" (EDU) from Education First, one can see the significant impact of culture, education and globalization on the ability of citizens of different countries to speak English.

Turkey was the European country which had the largest share of its citizens self-reporting that they could not speak any foreign language, with almost 82 percent saying they were unable to do so. The United Kingdom and Bosnia and Herzegovina also had over 60 percent of their citizens self-reporting not being able to speak a foreign language. On the other hand, Slovenia, Sweden, and Estonia all had less than five percent of their populations stating they could not speak another language other than their country's main language. Slovenia, Luxembourg, and Norway were the three countries with the most citizens stating they could speak three foreign languages. On average, 37 percent of EU citizens report speaking one foreign language, 22 percent speak two, and 8.6 percent speak three, while 32 percent report speaking none.

Ireland stands as an outlier, as all citizens of the north-western European country self-reported as speaking a foreign language. This is, however, actually, a result of how the question was asked, as respondents interpreted English as being a foreign language (in the sense of not being native to Ireland), in spite of it being one of the two official languages in the country (alongside Irish) and being spoken by the vast majority of the population in Ireland as their first language.

Argentina scored 562 out of a maximum of 800 points in the English Proficiency Index 2023. That was the highest score among all Latin American countries included in the survey. The Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, also received the highest English proficiency score among all the Latin American cities analyzed. Mexico and Haiti received the lowest scores in the region.

Mexico is the country with the largest number of native Spanish speakers in the world. As of 2024, 132.5 million people in Mexico spoke Spanish with a native command of the language. Colombia was the nation with the second-highest number of native Spanish speakers, at around 52.7 million. Spain came in third, with 48 million, and Argentina fourth, with 46 million. Spanish, a world language As of 2023, Spanish ranked as the fourth most spoken language in the world, only behind English, Chinese, and Hindi, with over half a billion speakers. Spanish is the official language of over 20 countries, the majority on the American continent, nonetheless, it's also one of the official languages of Equatorial Guinea in Africa. Other countries have a strong influence, like the United States, Morocco, or Brazil, countries included in the list of non-Hispanic countries with the highest number of Spanish speakers. The second most spoken language in the U.S. In the most recent data, Spanish ranked as the language, other than English, with the highest number of speakers, with 12 times more speakers as the second place. Which comes to no surprise following the long history of migrations from Latin American countries to the Northern country. Moreover, only during the fiscal year 2022. 5 out of the top 10 countries of origin of naturalized people in the U.S. came from Spanish-speaking countries.

Singapore scored 609 out of a maximum of 800 points in the English Proficiency Index 2024, the highest score across the selected Asian countries and territories. In contrast, Cambodia reached an English Proficiency Index score of 408 that year.

In 2025, there were around 1.53 billion people worldwide who spoke English either natively or as a second language, slightly more than the 1.18 billion Mandarin Chinese speakers at the time of survey. Hindi and Spanish accounted for the third and fourth most widespread languages that year. Languages in the United States The United States does not have an official language, but the country uses English, specifically American English, for legislation, regulation, and other official pronouncements. The United States is a land of immigration, and the languages spoken in the United States vary as a result of the multicultural population. The second most common language spoken in the United States is Spanish or Spanish Creole, which over than 43 million people spoke at home in 2023. There were also 3.5 million Chinese speakers (including both Mandarin and Cantonese),1.8 million Tagalog speakers, and 1.57 million Vietnamese speakers counted in the United States that year. Different languages at home The percentage of people in the United States speaking a language other than English at home varies from state to state. The state with the highest percentage of population speaking a language other than English is California. About 45 percent of its population was speaking a language other than English at home in 2023.

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global English Proficiency Test market size is USD 2965.5 million in 2024. It will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.70% from 2024 to 2031.

North America held the major market share for more than 40% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 1186.20 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9% from 2024 to 2031.
Europe accounted for a market share of over 30% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 889.65 million.
Asia Pacific held a market share of around 23% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 682.07 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.7% from 2024 to 2031.
Latin America had a market share for more than 5% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 148.28 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1% from 2024 to 2031.
Middle East and Africa hada market share of around 2% of the global revenue and was estimated at a market size of USD 59.31 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4% from 2024 to 2031.
Employers category is experiencing the fastest growth in the English Proficiency Test Market. The rising trend of multinational companies and the global nature of business operations necessitate a workforce proficient in English.

Market Dynamics of English Proficiency Test Market

Key Drivers for English Proficiency Test Market

Increasing Global Mobility of Students and Professionals to Increase the Demand Globally

The increasing global mobility of students and professionals is a significant driver in the English Proficiency Test Market. As educational institutions worldwide, particularly in English-speaking countries, attract a growing number of international students, the need for standardized English proficiency assessments becomes critical. Similarly, professionals seeking employment opportunities in multinational corporations or pursuing career advancements in global markets must demonstrate their English language capabilities. This trend is fueled by globalization and the widespread recognition of English as the lingua franca of business, academia, and technology, thereby boosting the demand for reliable and comprehensive English proficiency tests.

Rising Demand for English in Non-English Speaking Regions to Propel Market Growth

The rising demand for English language skills in non-English speaking regions is another crucial driver of the English Proficiency Test Market. As countries in Asia, Latin America, and Europe increasingly integrate into the global economy, proficiency in English becomes a valuable asset for individuals and businesses. Governments and educational systems in these regions are incorporating English language education into their curricula, and companies are investing in language training for their employees to enhance competitiveness. This growing emphasis on English proficiency is creating substantial opportunities for test providers to expand their offerings and cater to a broader audience, further propelling market growth.

Restraint Factor for the English Proficiency Test Market

High Cost of Test Preparation and Registration Fees to Limit the Sales

A significant restraint in the English Proficiency Test Market is the high cost of test preparation and registration fees. Many potential test-takers, especially students and professionals from developing countries, find these costs prohibitive. The expense of preparatory courses, study materials, and the tests themselves can deter individuals from taking the exams, limiting their opportunities for education and employment in English-speaking regions. This financial barrier not only affects individuals but also impacts the overall market growth, as it reduces the number of people who can afford to demonstrate their English proficiency through standardized tests.

Limited Accessibility in Rural and Remote Regions

One key restraint in the English proficiency test market is the limited availability of authorized test centers and digital infrastructure in rural and remote areas. Many prospective candidates, especially in developing countries, face challenges in reaching testing locations or accessing reliable internet for online examinations. This restricts participation and limits the market’s growth potential in under...

Automatic Speech Recognition results of the testing dataset of emergency calls.

As of October 2025, English was the dominant language for online content, used by nearly half of all websites worldwide. Spanish ranked second, accounting for around 6 percent of web content, followed by German with 5.9 percent. English as the leading online language United States and India, the countries with the most internet users after China, are also the world's biggest English-speaking markets. The internet user base in both countries combined, as of January 2023, was over a billion individuals. This has led to most of the online information being created in English. Consequently, even those who are not native speakers may use it for convenience. Global internet usage by regions As of October 2024, the number of internet users worldwide was 5.52 billion. In the same period, Northern Europe and North America were leading in terms of internet penetration rates worldwide, with around 97 percent of its populations accessing the internet.

QAP regressions for popular websites (Alexa)/ videos (YouTube)/ topics (Twitter) similarity across countries (Final block, September).

Professional group and nationality of panel members.

This statistic shows the results of a 2018 survey, broken down by country, which asked young people in the European Union how many languages they could read or write in. As can be seen in the statistic, knowledge of other languages varies quite a lot between different countries. In the United Kingdom, ** percent of respondents advised that they can only read or write in *** language, compared with *** percent of Danish youths.

The United States is the non-hispanic country with the largest number of native Spanish speakers in the world, with approximately 41.89 million people with a native command of the language in 2024. However, the European Union had the largest group of non-native speakers with limited proficiency of Spanish, at around 28 million people. Furthermore, Mexico is the country with the largest number of native Spanish speakers in the world as of 2024.

This statistic shows the results of a 2011 survey among American adults on the most important words or phrases one should know when traveling in a non-English speaking country. According to 38 percent, "Thank you" is the most important phrase to know in the respective language when traveling abroad.

A survey conducted in 2023 in English-speaking countries found that the main benefit of using biometric authentication was to not have to remember a password, as highlighted by ** percent of respondents. In addition, ** percent of respondents considered simplified log-in and onboarding processes as the most important benefit of biometric authentication. On the other hand, only *** percent of respondents named online privacy as the main benefit of biometric authentication methods.

This statistic depicts the number of Taiwan's consular personnel for English speaking countries accepted through Taiwan's third class diplomatic test from 2010 to 2018. In 2018, ** people passed the third class diplomatic test in Taiwan and became consular personnel in correspondence with English speaking countries .

Buenos Aires, Argentina scored 584 out of a maximum of 800 points in the English Proficiency Index 2023. That was the highest score among all the Latin American cities surveyed. In that year, nine cities in the region socred in the "high proficiency" range (550-599 points).

As of 2019, a significant share of national legislators in select English-language countries were using the online social platform Twitter. In the United States, 99 percent of national legislators tweeted at least once a month. In contrast, monthly tweets were only made by 70 percent by national legislators in New Zealand.

In 2021, the London borough of Newham had the highest share of residents that spoke a language other than English as their main language. Brent had the second-highest share of residents that had a different main language, followed by Ealing and Harrow, all also London boroughs. Outside of London, Leicester had the highest share of people who reported a language other than English as their main one, at 30 percent.