According to a ranking, this country demonstrates a high level of competence and excellent language skills in its region.
Argentina has maintained its position as the leader in English proficiency in Latin America for the 13th consecutive year and climbed two spots in the global ranking, reaching 28th place with a "high level" of competence, according to an international study published yesterday.
The English Proficiency Index study is globally compiled by EF Education First, an international language education company with over 600 schools in 111 countries.
"Argentina has the highest level of English proficiency in Latin America," said Giorgio Iemmolo, EF's Director of Academic Management, during an online presentation announcing the study's results.
In this edition, Argentina scored 560 points, corresponding to a "high proficiency" level, and was the only Latin American country in this category.
With this score, it ranked 28th out of 113 countries, climbing two spots from last year when it was ranked 30th. However, the national average score dropped by two points compared to the 2022 study, when the country achieved 562 points.
On the other hand, Argentina has maintained its leadership in English proficiency in Latin America, a trend observed since EF's first study in 2011.
Another point highlighted is that English proficiency is higher among those over 30, while levels have declined among those still in school or university. "Regarding age trends, the significant drop caused by COVID is now much more evident, and students are stabilizing at their lowest levels, which could be a cause for concern. Adults over 30 have shown greater improvement, a phenomenon also observed in many other countries," the report states.
This is especially significant considering these countries are entering the global labor market with the surge of remote work. Remote staffing agencies and international companies are doubling down their hires in Latin America over the historical Asian market.
One of the report's conclusions is that a global decline in proficiency is occurring: 60% of countries reported lower scores this year, although the downward trend among young people aged 18 to 20 has halted.
"After years of increasing proficiency, the regional average for Latin America remained stable this year. Brazil, El Salvador, and Cuba experienced drops of more than 10 points, while Mexico showed a slight rebound after several years of decline, and Uruguay and Colombia continued their steady improvement."
The EPI is a study that has been conducted since 2011, initially with a sample of 44 countries. This year, it includes a sample of 2.2 million people across 113 countries and measures English proficiency as a second language using the EF SET, the world’s first free standardized English test.
The EF SET is an adaptive, standardized online test aligned with TOEFL and Cambridge University's IELTS, providing objective scoring to classify individuals’ language skills within the six levels defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Having a common language has become more important than ever. According to EF Education First, two-thirds of the world’s population speaks one of the official United Nations languages, with English being the most common, spoken by approximately 2.5 billion people.
Europe continues to lead in English proficiency as a second language. Below are the top 10 countries in the 2023 EPI ranking:
language
Español
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Português
العربية
日本語
中文
한국어
Pусский
