Top 10 European Countries by English Proficiency

Aaaaaustriaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

Nothing to do with your comment, but as happy as I am that comment likes are now a thing, I'm sad that only comments on new quizzes will ever get likes. Kalbahamut had some great ones I'd "like" to find and "like".

Danish is a common second language in in Iceland.

I like Icelandic even though I don't speak it. Just saying Eyjafjallajokull impresses people :)

I am continually amazed at the abilities of some Nations to speak other languages, I have Dutch and German friends that speak English as well as any English people, better than some. Not just correct, but using regional jargon as well.

As for Germany pretty much everything is dubbed. I like to watch movies in English though (if that's the original language of the movie) because it feels more authentic to me. This and chatting with foreigners in English probably improved my English. I mean I wasn't bad at school but learning or improving a language through something you enjoy is way easier and more efficient.

We had to take a foreign language in my high school back in the '60s, and I took two years of Spanish. However, I can remember very little of it now. Even my daughter who majored in French, did study abroad in France, and has vacationed there more than once now has trouble remembering the language. I have a friend who grew up in Germany but has been in the US over twenty years. She says she is losing some of her native language. I think with language it holds true, "Use it or lose it."

After my first 30 years in Germany, I've been living the last 12 years or so in the UK. Luckily I still have a habit of talking to myself a lot in my native language, so I never forget it. :)

I work internationally on a fairly constant basis. My experience is consistent with these statistics, although it is hard for me to imagine who the 10% of Dutch are who are not English proficient. Damn near 100%, if you ask me. And much higher in Germany and Austria. Yes, I have observers' bias, because I generally am in contact with other businesspeople or folks at airports/restaurants/hotels or other service providers that generally will have contact with English speakers. But, pretty much, English is so invasive due to the cultural impact of the US, even those who are not 'proficient' have a decent working knowledge.

Only 98% in the UK? That means there over a million people in the UK who cannot speak English even as an additional language.

Mostly recent immigrants

Don't forget Scottish Gaelic - although admittedly, if you know Scottish Gaelic but don't know English and you live in the U.K., you're not going to fare too well.

It's pretty much a daily occurrence that I meet someone unable to speak English in London, whether in a Korean shop, Indian shop or someone just on the streets. It personally doesn't bother me though, I'll be leaving the UK for a country where I barely speak the language so I can't exactly by a hypocrite about it.

Surprised not to see France on this list.

I'm not.

De même.

Parisians usually speak English, but it is much less common in the rest of the country.

Well, it's better than the rate in the U.S. Very few people speak Native American these days.

Actually missed UK because I thought it was "besides the UK"..

Yeah, those were some of my first guesses.

Germany on the list instead of Poland? Impossible! When I went to Germany literally nobody spoke English throughout the country!

Wow. Your trip to Germany must have been busy. And probably not a lot of fun.