We know that although English is the official language in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, there are many other cities where English is widely spoken as a second language.  

To have a reference of which are the best cities with the best English in the world, we have researched the annual EF EPI English language proficiency report which assesses the abilities of English language learners around the world through the EF SET test which is accessible and free to anyone who wishes to take it.  

The cities with the best English in Europe:

1. Amsterdam

 Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, which took the number 1 spot in our ranking. The city is known for its international culture and is a major economic, social and cultural hub in Europe and around the world.  

In addition, the Netherlands has a well-established education system oriented towards learning English but also has a great importance on a social level. 

2. 
   

   Copenhagen

Another capital city, in this case the capital of Denmark, takes second place. It is worth noting that the Nordic countries occupy a large part of the podium, and this is because they are countries with a strong economy and a society committed to language education.   

3. Helsinki

The capital of Finland takes the bronze medal in our EF EPI report and deservedly so, as the Finnish education system is known to be the best in the world.  

4. Vienna

The capital of Austria takes fourth place, but Austria is the second best English-speaking country in Europe according to our report. English in this country has been improving in recent years to a very high level, and this is due to the investment in language development in the country.  

5. Stockholm

The Swedish capital is the most populated city in the country and this makes it a centre of economic and cultural exchange with the rest of the world.  

6. Porto

Porto is the only city in the top 10 of the list of cities with the best English in the world that is not a capital of a country. Nevertheless, Porto is a very important city within the Portuguese country and also the second economic and social centre after Lisbon.  

7. Johannesburg

Johannesburg is the only city in the top 10 that is not in Europe. The capital of South Africa ranks as the city with the best English on the continent with a score of Very High.  

8. Lisbon

The capital of Portugal is the second city in the country to make it into the top 10. Portugal is ranked number 7 in the world-ranking of countries with the best English.  

9. Zagreb

The Croatian capital is a clear example of how globalisation and access to new forms of education such as online English learning have allowed the language to be strengthened and consolidated in society.  

10. Oslo

We finish our ranking with the last Scandinavian capital. The city of the fjords has had a very high level of English for some years now. The country is also ranked number 5 in the world in our EF EPI report.  

We hope you enjoyed our list of cities with the best English in the world. If you want to be part of the report and represent your country or city, take our free test – it only takes 15 minutes.