Multilingual population
New research conducted by international education company Education First (EF) highlights the high level of English proficiency in the Netherlands. According to EF’s latest English Proficiency Index, only Norway surpasses the Netherlands.
Measuring language skills
EF is an educational institute specialising in teaching foreign languages to adults. For the English Proficiency Index, over two million adults from several different countries took a free online English test to measure their proficiency.
The Netherlands ranks second in the proficiency index, reflecting the fact that almost the entire Dutch population speaks English. This is especially true for the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area with its diverse population.
Amsterdam's talented workforce
Amsterdam is home to a productive regional workforce from 178 different countries, with 44% of the population having a higher education. Amsterdam has the country’s highest density of knowledge workers and an increasing inflow of workers from other EU countries, assisted by the Expatcenter.
Eighty percent of the workforce speaks English, making Amsterdam the largest Anglophone city in continental Europe. Ninety percent of the workforce speaks two or more languages.
According to the World Talent Index, the Netherlands ranks fourth in the world for attracting and developing talent, surpassing every other country on continental Europe.
Related topics
- Tell a friend
