- EF Education First releases the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index, now enhanced with AI-driven evaluation of spoken and written English across 123 regions.
- Based on data from 2.2 million EF SET test-takers, the Netherlands tops the rankings again, while global gaps persist in speaking skills, youth performance, and regional disparities.
- EF’s tech arm, Efekta, powers large-scale AI assessment, positioning the EF EPI as a strategic lens on global skills, innovation, and the future of work.
EF Education First has just released the 2025 edition of the EF English Proficiency Index, with a new AI-driven analysis of adult English skills across 123 countries and regions. This index has been called the most extensive annual ranking of English ability, and it was compiled based on data from 2.2 million people who took the EF SET test, a popular free assessment platform for evaluating language skills.
A key innovation in this year's edition is the use of AI technology proprietary to Efekta Education Group, part of EF, which for the first time evaluates spoken and written English at scale. This advance enables the index to look beyond skills in just listening and reading, and to assess with greater precision how well individuals actually express themselves-a deeper, more nuanced understanding of competency.
The richer perspective is 'essential for building understanding across borders and cultures', says Kate Bell, the EF EPI author, while the AI-based assessment brings speed, scale, and consistency to the global evaluation.
This year, too, the Netherlands remains at the top, followed by Croatia and Austria, with Germany making a significant leap to fourth place in Europe. Still, the global picture is unequal: for more than half of the countries surveyed, speaking remains the weakest English skill. The report uncovers a mix of different skill gaps in nations, some showing large differences between skills, while others do not, supporting the fact that no single skill is universally harder.
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Meanwhile, there is the encouraging news on the gender front: the global gender gap in English proficiency is narrowing, although in some regions, such as the Middle East, the gap has slightly widened. On the other hand, the report expresses concern about the proficiency of younger adults: contrary to post-pandemic expectations, people under 25 are not outperforming older cohorts, and in many places, they score lower.
Regional analyses also reveal interesting insights: Europe's improvement appears to have leveled off, Asia retains the smallest skill gaps, Latin America exhibits the widest age-based disparities, and Africa is very diverse. The report goes on to look at how global innovation, economic opportunity, and cooperation connect with English proficiency, and points out that insofar as AI continues to reshape work and society, strong English skills are a key gateway, partly because many leading AI tools have their roots in English.
EF was established in 1965. It positions the EF EPI not only as a barometer of language ability but also as a strategic lens on global trends. Efekta, the technology arm behind this AI-powered assessment, is described as leading the charge in bringing scalable, technology-driven learning solutions to educational institutions and organizations.
