Greeks are among the most fluent non-native English speakers in the world as the country ranks 8th among 116 countries in the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) released recently.
The EF EPI, the largest global ranking of English proficiency, evaluates results from 2.1 million participants in 116 countries and territories and in over 1,200 regions and cities.
According to the 2024 report, Greece ranked 8th receiving a “Very High Proficiency Country Score” of 602. Leading the way were the Netherlands (636), followed by Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Croatia, Portugal, Denmark, Greece and Austria.
The lowest proficiency levels were found in Libya, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia and Yemen.
Athens scored highly for the English proficiency levels
Greece’s capital, Athens, also scored highly for the English proficiency levels of its speakers, ranking 11th on the “Very High Proficiency—Capital, after Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Vienna, Helsinki, Lisbon, Zagreb, Stockholm, Berlin, Bern and Oslo. Cities with very low proficiency scores were Kigali, Luanda, Abidjan, Delhi and Mogadishu.
The worldwide level of English proficiency has declined for the fourth year running, with 60 percent of countries in the index scoring lower this year than last, the EF EPI report notes. Although almost all of these national score changes are small, the downward trend appears to indicate a slackening of interest in developing English proficiency beyond current levels in many parts of the world.
It adds that the level of English proficiency in Europe has declined slightly, with a larger decline over the past four years within the EU than outside of it (-13 points for the EU compared to -2 for the European geographic region). Many of the countries with the highest English proficiency in the world saw a slight decline this year and no countries in Europe improved more than 10 points.
Greeks and English
English is a compulsory subject in Greek schools from an early age, and many students attend private language institutes (frontistiria) for additional learning.
With millions of tourists visiting Greece annually, businesses and workers in the hospitality sector (hotels, restaurants, tour guides, shops, transport) must communicate in English daily. This creates a strong motivation to learn and improve English skills, especially in tourist-heavy areas like Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, and Crete.
Exposure to English through music and movies helps improve proficiency. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter are predominantly in English, exposing Greeks to the language daily. Many influencers, celebrities and content creators communicate in English, reinforcing vocabulary and phrases. Unlike classroom learning, social media provides exposure to slang, idioms and conversational English, making learning more natural and engaging.
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