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Skills gap widespread; gender gap narrowing; youth proficiency low

ZURICH, Nov. 19, 2025 -- EF (Education First), a 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," said Kate Bell, EF EPI author.

The EF English Proficiency Index is an annual ranking of countries, regions and capital cities by English skills.

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 individuals and organizations – making robust language evaluation accessible to millions.

This year, for the first time, speaking and writing skills are evaluated using proprietary AI technology developed by Efekta Education Group, a tech company within EF focused on improving learning outcomes at scale.

"Thanks to Efekta's advanced technology, we can now assess not only what people understand through listening and reading, but also how well they express themselves through speaking and writing – essential for building understanding across borders and cultures," added Bell. "This richer, more complete view of English proficiency reveals how skills vary across individuals and groups. AI-powered assessment enables us to do this with unprecedented scale, speed, and consistency worldwide."

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.

Beyond rankings, the EF EPI examines how English proficiency relates to innovation, economic opportunity, and global collaboration. As AI reshapes work and life, English remains essential for accessing and influencing the future, especially since leading AI tools are developed mainly in English.

Full report: ef.com/epi

Founded in 1965, EF is a global association of education companies dedicated to opening the world through language, academic, cultural exchange, and travel programs.

Efekta is an innovative Tech company and the world's leading provider of AI-powered learning technology – focused on improving educational outcomes at scale in high schools, universities, and global companies.

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