Spain ranked worst in EU for English proficiency

Spain’s proficiency in English has ranked the worst in the EU.

A new ranking suggests the Spanish are making very little progress when it comes to mastering English.

The nation has been placed below the French in the annual EF English Proficiency Index.

Furthermore, this year saw Italy overtake its Latin-influenced neighbour.

The report read: “English proficiency levels are rising in the European Union. France’s scores have improved for the past three years, but Spain and Italy still lag behind the rest of the EU.

Indeed, the Spain ranked below Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and far below its neighbouring Portugal, which ranked 7th.

Northern European nations again took the podium, with the Netherlands in 1st place.

The Netherlands also placed 1st in the EF English Proficiency Index‘s list of 100 countries, followed by Denmark (2nd), Finland (3rd), Sweden (4th) and Norway (5th).