English remains the world's international language of communication, yet new research shows that EU citizens' reading and listening skills are better than their speaking and writing.
The Dutch have won the title for being the best at English as a foreign language in the worldfor the seventh year in a row, according to new research, although the Netherlands' skills have generally got worse since 2024.
According to a report from the EF English Proficiency Index, the country's global score has fallen 12 points compared to last year, but it remains in the top spot.
Fellow EU countries Croatia and Austria round out the top three, with their scores rising by 10 and 16 points since 2024, respectively.
There are 12 EU countries in the very high proficiency band, which involves using nuanced and appropriate language in social situations, reading advanced texts with ease, and negotiating a contract with a native English speaker.
By contrast, Italy, Cyprus and France rank the lowest among EU countries, falling into the moderate proficiency category.
There are five EU countries in this band (Lithuania, Spain, France, Cyprus, and Italy), which describes speakers as able to participate in meetings in one's area of expertise, understand song lyrics, and write professional emails on familiar subjects.
The 2025 EF English Proficiency Index is based on test results of 2.2 million adults in 123 countries and regions.
English was the most studied foreign language in general and vocational education at the upper secondary level in the EU in 2023, with 96.0% and 80.1% of students at those respective levels taking classes in it, according to the latest Eurostat data.
Despite its prevalence in classrooms across the continent, there are still gaps when it comes to skillsets and even demographics.
Reading and listening are the strongest language skills among all EU countries, compared to speaking and writing.
EF also recorded a gender gap: between 2014 and 2025, English proficiency in Europe increased by 40 points for men and 20 points for women.
Proficiency among the youngest adults remains lower than before the COVID pandemic. However, in 2025, more countries saw further declines in this group than those that saw improvements.
In the past decade, only Europeans aged between 18 and 20 have seen a decrease in their level of English.
How is AI shaping learning English?
There are approximately 2 billion people who speak English and have studied it at different times in their lives and through different learning techniques, from a traditional teacher in a school, to video calls with a tutor and gamified vocabulary apps.
Besides the rise of automated translation, studies show that the use of AI in education is steadily growing and will continue to expand.
"The consumer English learning market is experiencing unprecedented transformation as AI powers increasingly sophisticated mobile applications and online platforms," said Christopher McCormick, head of assessment at EF.
According to the EF, AI can transform English exams by automatically scoring writing and speaking tasks quickly and accurately, as well as helping brainstorm ideas, design lessons, and update materials.
However, experts caution that responsible use, clear guidelines, and awareness of possible drawbacks must be part of this progress.