English is known as one of the most popular languages spoken worldwide!(1.452 billion) More than a billion people, around the world, can speak English, and a lot of these people aren’t even English native speakers! English is also making its way into the professional world, meaning that more and more people are learning to speak English because of the increased demand. 

Let’s have a look at some of the top English-speaking countries in the world.

1-Portugal

Over the past couple of years, the people of Portugal have increased their English-speaking level immensely! 

Portuguese and English have some of the same roots and origins, therefore, the people were able to easily identify, learn, and improve their English language skills.

2-The Netherlands

Even though the official language spoken in the Netherlands is Dutch, more than 94% of the population can speak and understand English perfectly! 

The Netherlands is known for being the number one non-native English-speaking country in the world.

3-Denmark

Denmark, a Scandinavian country, has also bumped up the number of people able to speak and understand English. This is no surprise seeing that Danes encourage learning new languages and cultures alongside their own.

4-Austria

The native language in Austria is German, and many English words come from the German language, therefore, more than half of Austria’s people can speak and understand English. 

Their English proficiency rate is currently 62.18%, meaning that more than half of the country’s people can speak English!

5-Germany

Germany also has a fairly high English proficiency rate. Research has found that more than half of the population speaks English on a day-to-day basis. 

English is an important language for Germany because English is the international language of technology, music, and business.

6-Sweden

Sweden is known for having a very high English-speaking rate because from a very young age children are taught English in school. 

English films and music are becoming more and more popular among the people in Sweden. As a result, their English proficiency level will continue to increase.

7-Norway

More than 90% of Norwegian people can speak and understand English. The reason Norway has such a whopping English percentile is that children start learning to speak and use English in primary school. English is also used in their society along with their other native languages.

8-Finland

In Finland, research found that more than 70% of people speak English as a second language. Finland’s English proficiency rate has started to increase over the past few years. The reason for this growing number is that many of the younger generations are interested in English films, movie stars, music, etc.

9-India

India is known for being one of the largest English-speaking countries. The high English speaking and understanding score in India is largely due to its huge population. To ensure that they can do business internationally, India has increased the number of people able to speak and understand English.

10-Ireland

Did you know that 98% of Ireland’s population can speak and understand English! The people of Ireland know that English is a popular, and important language used worldwide and therefore they have taken it upon themselves to improve their English skills. Ireland is also a great place for international students who don’t want to learn a new foreign language.