Belgians are the sixth best English speakers in the world
English is, among other things, the language of science par excellence. It is good to know that out of 111 countries, Belgium ranks sixth in its mastery of the language of Shakespeare.
Every year, Education First, the world's largest private language school, ranks the countries and cities where English is spoken best. In Belgium, this level seems to be very high. Nevertheless, it is quite surprising to find ourselves just behind the real champions: Denmark (5), Norway (4), Austria (3), Singapore (2) and the absolute leader, the Netherlands (1). It is primarily the Flemish cities of Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Leuven in particular that are pulling Belgium's national average upwards, while Namur, bottom of the class in Wallonia, still has some progress to make. Brussels is one of the top 10 English-speaking capitals in the world.
According to Education First, we owe this enviable reputation primarily to the 26-30 age group. This group has the best score. In general, young people watch more films and series in the original language on streaming platforms, which improves their knowledge of English. The language is also strengthening its hold in the business world. Men perform slightly better, scoring 632 points, compared with 609 for women. In total, Belgium scored 620 points.
And what about our closest neighbours? They also perform well: Germany (10), Luxembourg (16), France (34) and the UK at ... oh yes, they are obviously outside the rankings.