Portugal’s English Skills Soar: New Data Places The Country Among The World’s Best

For nan 2nd twelvemonth running, Portugal has earned a spot among nan very best English-speaking nations successful nan world – a consequence that mightiness astonishment moreover nan Portuguese themselves. The latest EF English Proficiency Index places nan state successful 6th position retired of 123 regions, comfortably up of linguistic heavyweights for illustration Sweden, Belgium and Denmark.

But earlier anyone starts celebrating excessively loudly, experts person issued a warning: Portugal understands English brilliantly – but still struggles to speak it pinch confidence.

A immense leap guardant – acknowledgment to young people

The annual EF EPI study is nan world’s largest ranking of English expertise among adults. This year’s version analysed results from complete 2.2 cardinal learners worldwide done EF’s online information platform.

The conclusion? Portugal is doing exceptionally well. In a world wherever English has go nan connection of world work, travel, subject and technology, this is simply a powerful advantage.

What’s moreover much singular is who is driving nan improvement:
Portugal’s 18–20-year-olds.

While nan remainder of nan world’s teenagers are still recovering from nan Covid-era acquisition slump, young Portuguese adults person almost wholly regained their pre-pandemic English proficiency – and they are pulling nan nationalist mean up pinch them.

The study moreover highlights a affirmative societal shift: nan gender spread is shrinking. Women are now performing astatine almost precisely nan aforesaid level arsenic men – thing not each state tin claim.

The uncomfortable truth: Portugal tin publication English… but not ever usage it

This twelvemonth marks nan first clip nan EF ranking has measured speaking and penning utilizing AI-powered appraisal tools. And this caller information has revealed Portugal’s anemic spot:

▪ Strong skills → reference and understanding
▪ Much weaker skills → speaking and writing

The spread betwixt nan 2 is astir 130 points – 1 of nan astir important differences successful Europe.

Constança Oliveira e Sousa, Country Manager of EF Portugal, says this discrepancy comes pinch existent consequences:

“Employers want professionals who tin pass – who tin speak up successful meetings, constitute reports and discuss successful multicultural teams. The foundations are there, but galore group frost erstwhile they request to usage English actively.”

Happily, she adds a hopeful footnote: “When Portuguese students study abroad, that hesitation disappears quickly. They summation assurance fast.”

So nan talent exists – it conscionable needs a nudge into nan existent world.

Is exertion helping… aliases making america lazy?

The study points to a somewhat ironic side-effect of modern convenience.
AI translator has go truthful easy – and truthful instant – that immoderate group are simply stopping trying to speak a 2nd language.

Why struggle to find nan correct condemnation erstwhile your telephone tin do it for you?

But nan very aforesaid exertion is besides helping students study better, utilizing personalised exercises, accessible immoderate time, anywhere. AI, nan study suggests, tin make learning faster – but it will ne'er switch nan acquisition of talking to existent humans.

As Oliveira e Sousa puts it: “Nothing tin switch sitting astir a table, chatting and laughing.”

Older workers falling behind

Another worrying finding:
Adults complete 21 are not recovering their English-speaking expertise aft nan pandemic – dissimilar their younger counterparts.

That’s a problem successful a state trying to pull world finance and build world careers. A workforce beardown successful grammar but anemic successful spoken connection risks missing retired connected opportunities.

In today’s labour market, English isn’t conscionable a CV statement – it’s often nan bare minimum.

Move complete Lisbon – caller English champions rising

Perhaps nan report’s biggest astonishment is geographical.

For years, nan presumption has been that Lisbon and Porto — location to universities, multinational companies and thriving tech hubs — would people lead nan state successful English proficiency.

Not anymore.

The northbound has taken nan crown:

• Coimbra now ranks #1
• Braga and Aveiro adjacent behind
• Guimarães successful nan nationalist apical tier

Meanwhile, Lisbon has slipped further down nan array than anyone expected – each nan measurement to 9th place.

Why is nan northbound rising? Experts constituent to energetic assemblage environments, stronger English vulnerability among students and young professionals, and a activity of digital-economy jobs extracurricular nan capital.

More than a connection – English is simply a endurance skill

The study makes 1 point very clear: speaking English is nary longer astir ticking a container astatine school. It is astir taking portion successful nan future.

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape astir each profession, English remains nan connection of innovation. The astir precocious tech devices — including nan AI utilized successful nan study — are still developed chiefly successful English.

Those who maestro some English and AI, Oliveira e Sousa argues, will beryllium nan astir competitory professionals successful tomorrow’s occupation market:

“It’s a powerful combination. It gives group a existent advantage – and companies cognize it.”

Portugal’s last score? One of Europe’s champion – pinch room to grow

Portugal tin beryllium proud. Maintaining specified a precocious world ranking is acold from easy. But nan adjacent measurement is clear:

•  Close nan spread betwixt knowing and communicating
•  Support workers who missed retired during nan pandemic
•  Keep investing successful immersive and applicable connection use

Because nan world is moving – and Portugal wants to enactment ahead.

Top 10 countries – EF English Proficiency Index 2025