Germany was recently ranked as the country with the 4th highest English proficiency score out of 123 countries where English is not the native language, according to Education First's annual survey.
The survey, which is the world's largest annual ranking of adults' English skills, suggested that Germany had jumped six spots in the global ranking from 10th place just one year before.
We reached out to Education First to ask how Germany had pulled off such an impressive feat, and for a bit more in-depth information on how good the English really is around here.
'Genuine improvement'
Asked if the survey results seemed to suggest that English skills in Germany were really improving, or if the country's gain was instead the result of other countries dropping down, a spokesperson for Education First (EF) told The Local that the score this year suggests a "genuine improvement".
They added, "While Europe as a whole has seen its average English level plateau, Germany, along with France and Poland, recorded larger-than-average gains."
Looking a bit closer at the data, these gains were not seen across all of the German population but were primarily seen among young people.
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"All tested age groups from 18 to 40 have shown significant improvements," the spokesperson said. "The only exception is the 41+ age group, whose proficiency has been steadily declining since 2021."
Interestingly, English skills among Germans appear to have reached gender parity, with proficiency skills among women now on par with those of men. In fact, the German women's group overall outperformed the German men's group in the index survey this year.
Reversal of the post-covid negative trend
As for the bigger picture of how English skills are developing in Germany; EF's data suggests that since 2011 (when EF assessments began) there has been a "steady and consistent upward trend in English proficiency each year".
The only notable exception being the post-covid years, which showed a decline in English proficiency in the country until this year's assessment demonstrated a reversal of that dip.
The EF spokesperson suggested that Germany's relatively steady improvement over time "may be attributed to the effectiveness of English education in Germany, as well as the growing importance of English in professional and social contexts."
Germany's relatively strong education system, with its emphasis on English as a second language from an early age, probably deserves a fair amount of credit in this regard. This sentiment was shared by a number of readers who commented on a post about the original article on Facebook.
"They have been teaching it in school for a very long time," wrote one commentor. "Sixty years ago I started learning English and French in school in my home town in Baden-Württemberg."
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EF's assessment did reveal one weakness among English speakers in Germany, however, and that was productive skills i.e. speaking or writing, as opposed to reading and listening.
For their 2025 survey, EF had assessed some respondent's productive skills for the first time. The spokesperson said that for Germany "the impact of adding productive skills was -1 [point]".
English in the workplace
The proficiency index suggests that Germany’s English proficiency in the workplace is comparatively high.
"Our data show particularly strong English skills in fields such as IT, strategy and project management, and research and development," the EF spokesperson said, adding that this reflects Germany’s international business environment and export-driven economy.
They noted that "as digital transformation and AI continue to reshape the workplace, [EF] expects English skills to become even more integral to professional success in Germany."
Of course it should also be said that the value of English skills in the German job-market does not negate the value of having German skills if you are seeking work in the country.
In fact there is a case to be made that, given the generally high-level of English skills among the German population, foreign workers in the country are arguably under even greater pressure to learn German -- because boasting native-level English skills doesn't put applicants that far ahead.
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