Bucharest residents are among the best non-native English speakers in the world

Romania’s capital Bucharest ranks 12th based on the English Proficiency Index (EPI) score (64.45), ahead of cities such as Brussels (63.56), Prague (61.29), Paris (60.28), Barcelona (57.97) and Rome (56.28). Bucharest is included in the “Very High Proficiency” group, alongside Vienna, Berlin, Warsaw, and Budapest. The cities with the highest EPI scores are Amsterdam (71.36), Stockholm (69.24), and Copenhagen (68.52).

Meanwhile, Romania maintained its 16th position in this year’s English Proficiency Index compiled by language training company Education First (EF EPI 2019). Romania’s score is 61.36, slightly up compared to last year, placing the country in the “High Proficiency” band.

In the region, Romania ranks behind Poland (63.76), Croatia (63.07) and Hungary (61.86), but ahead of Serbia (61.30) and Bulgaria (58.97). Moreover, Romania is second among the Latin countries for English skills, after Portugal. Meanwhile, countries such as France, Spain and Italy are only in the Moderate Proficiency group.

The top countries for English language skills are the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, followed by Denmark and Singapore. The ranking includes the countries and cities where English is not a native language.

This ninth edition of the EF EPI is based on test data from more than 2.3 million people around the world who took the online EF Standard English Test (EF SET) or one of EF’s English placement tests in 2018. Only cities, regions, and countries with a minimum of 400 test takers were included in the Index.

Very High Proficiency means, among others, that a person can use nuanced and appropriate language in social situations, read advanced texts with ease, and negotiate a contract with a native English speaker.

High Proficiency means that a person can make a presentation in English at work, understand TV shows, and read a newspaper.

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