EF English Proficiency Index

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2021: Russia dropped 10 places in the English language proficiency rating

Russia fell 10 places in the ranking of English proficiency, which is led by EF Education First. In 2020, the Russian Federation was located in the 41st position, and a year later - already in the 41st.

The rating is based on data received from 2 million people from 100 countries and regions for which English is not native. The leading three included the Netherlands, Austria and Denmark.

According to the study, English is best spoken in Russia in St. Petersburg. In general, the country has an average level of language proficiency - the same as in Spain, Lebanon, Italy. Analysts believe that it is achieved due to the availability of the Internet in Russia, it is 82.8%.

Russia dropped 10 places in the English language proficiency rating led by EF Education First

However, according to analysts, in Russia the pandemic of coronavirus COVID-19 led to a drop in interest in learning English. People became less interested in new knowledge, and the practical need for knowledge of the language decreased due to restrictions on travel and business trips.

Despite the limitations and the situation in the world, the demand for quality education abroad is growing faster than before the pandemic. In 2021 alone, graduates of our schools received 1,052 offers from the best universities in the world. We believe that the wave of attention to the study of English will not subside and in the future Russia will rise again in the EF EPI ranking, "says Irina Harlakina, director of the admissions commission of EF Academy schools in New York and Oxford.

The study also concluded that compared to 2020, in 2021, tangible progress was noticeable in people over 30 years old, and 40-year-olds first fell into the group of moderate language proficiency. These trends prove the ability of adults to acquire language skills throughout their careers, experts say. In most industries, English language proficiency is on average lower than required for optimal performance.^[1]

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