Portugal among the world's elite in English proficiency
Portugal ranks 6th in EF EPI 2025, far exceeding the global average and excelling particularly in reading
Portugal has secured sixth place in the 2025 Education First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), a global ranking that assessed English language abilities across 123 countries. With a score of 612 out of 800, the Portuguese significantly surpassed the global average of 488 points. Both students and teachers from Portugal stood out in the evaluation.
The test measured reading, listening, speaking and writing skills. Portugal ranked just behind the Netherlands, Croatia, Austria, Germany and Norway, with the Netherlands taking the top spot at 624 points. Among the different skills assessed, reading emerged as the strongest area for Portuguese participants, earning an impressive 632 points. However, the study highlights that spoken English continues to be the biggest challenge worldwide. The report also shows that gender differences in English proficiency are becoming increasingly minimal.
The northern and central regions of Portugal were particularly noteworthy for their strong results, highlighting one of the region's most prominent factors for attracting foreign direct investment projecs: its highly-qualified and multilingual talent pool.
