Argentina, the best in the English language in the region

Argentina occupies the first place in Latin America in a ranking regarding the level of English, realized in 44 countries of the world where that language is not the native one. They are followed by Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Chile, Venezuela and, finally, Colombia, with a very low grade.

The survey was conducted by EF (Education First) and is the first of its kind to rank the level of English proficiency among a large population in each of the countries surveyed.
The number one place in the world rankings was for Norway, followed by the Netherlands and Denmark, while France and Italy are at the same level as Guatemala or Portugal and behind the former European countries.

As for Asia, the best positioned country is Malaysia, with a high level; South Korea, with medium level; India and China, with low level, and Turkey and Kazakhstan (the last of the list), qualified with very low level. 

The most curious data correspond to the countries that were until a few years ago British colony, like India, got a low rating. China, meanwhile, climbed to the 29th position, when until recently it almost did not measure, and there was total absence of Africa in the compulsa. «The performance of Latin America was lower than expected because the predominant language is Spanish and is used as a single language,» the report said. 

The index uses a unique set of test data from more than two million people across 44 countries that took free online English tests for three years from 2007 to 2009. 

The sample shows that the English level index shows a strong correlation between the language domain of a country and its national income per capita. There are also high correlations with education levels and export strength. «In todays highly competitive global economy, English skills are a core skill and are more important than ever to the entire workforce,» said Bill Fisher, president of EFs Englishtown online learning division. 

The 44 classifieds illustrate the wide range of knowledge of English around the world today. «The comparison,» says the report, «of countries with their neighbors, business partners and closest allies offers a fascinating study on divergent national priorities and educational policies across Europe, Asia and Latin America.» 

Here are some of the highlights: 

Spanish is first than English as an international language in Latin America; 

Latin America is the weakest of all regions; 

The level of English proficiency in Asia is surprisingly low; 

Although it is known that India lowered the level and China raised it, it is very difficult to estimate the number of English users, but it is estimated that both have almost the same number of English speakers and very soon the Asian giant will surpass the former British colony ; 

Many multinational companies and factories in Europe have adopted English as the language in their working environment.