In an examination evaluated on an 800-point scale, the Portuguese achieved 612 points, significantly surpassing the global average of 488 points, as per the Education First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) 2025, released today with participation from 2.2 million individuals.
In the English test assessing skills in reading, listening, speaking, and writing, Portugal ranked sixth, only slightly trailing the Netherlands, which holds the first position with 624 points, followed by Croatia, Austria, Germany, and Norway.
The study indicates that speaking English remains the biggest challenge. In over half of the assessed countries, speaking is the weakest skill. In Portugal, spoken language proficiency is 130 points lower than reading, the strongest skill among Portuguese respondents, scoring 632 points.
The gap between men and women continues to narrow, with men performing slightly better, according to the data accessed by Lusa.
Within Portugal, knowledge of English is more prevalent in the central and northern regions: Coimbra, Braga, Aveiro, and Viseu are districts with notably higher proficiency. Coimbra tops the national city ranking with 639 points, followed by Guimarães and Aveiro.
Districts with lower results include Bragança and Viana do Castelo, both averaging below 600 points. Setúbal is the city with the lowest national score at 596.
Younger individuals, aged 18 to 20, excel in English according to the online test results, which show a decline in scores as age increases.
In Portugal, students and teachers achieved the highest scores, averaging around 650 points. Next are professionals in the legal and Information Technology sectors, according to the study accessed by Lusa.
Constança Oliveira e Sousa, from EF in Portugal, highlighted the impact of AI-based translation tools on oral and written expression skills: “These tools offer instant translations, which may reduce motivation to learn a language from the outset,” she stated.
Conversely, she acknowledged that AI could also present new learning opportunities through personalized exercises available at any time of day.
