The EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) published its annual report, and Lebanon came 1st out of 12 Middle Eastern countries in 2022.
The world’s largest ranking of adult English skills surveys countries and territories into 5 proficiency levels, including Very high, High, Moderate, Low, and Very low, of the “average” person.
However, after ranking in the 34th position worldwide in 2021, this year Lebanon dropped 20 places, ranking 54th out of 111, with an EF EPI score of 513 and a global average score of 502.
Founded in Sweden, EF Education is a renowned education company aiming at exploring, teaching, and spreading the English language around the world through academics.
Additionally, the EF EPI rates countries by use of English language skills based on test results of 2.1 million adults in 111 countries and regions who take the EF test.
Several contributors affected the score, primarily the reduced access to education in Lebanon due to the economic crisis as well as the mass exodus of mostly educated Lebanese from Lebanon this past couple of years.
English speakers are the first to find opportunities abroad in both the West and the GCC. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese are believed to have emigrated from Lebanon since 2020.
