Fresh conversations about English usage and proficiency across Africa have continued to gain traction online after recent comments by Kenyan President William Ruto sparked reactions from Nigerians and other Africans.
The president appeared to take a swipe at Nigerians, suggesting that people from his country speak some of the most polished and easily understood English on the continent, unlike Nigerians, whose spoken English, he implied, often requires interpretation.
The remarks have since reignited interest in how African nations perform in global English proficiency rankings.
Recent figures from EF SET, widely recognised as the world’s largest English proficiency assessment, offer further insight.
The 2025 evaluation reviewed data from 2.2 million adults across 123 countries and regions, assessing abilities in reading, listening, speaking, and writing through an adaptive online test.
Africa’s English proficiency rankings revealed
Based on the latest data, South Africa tops the continent, ranking highest among African nations globally in English proficiency.
Below is the full list of the top 10 African countries:
- South Africa (Global Ranking: 13)
- Zimbabwe (Global Ranking: 13)
- Kenya (Global Ranking: 19)
- Zambia (Global Ranking: 27)
- Nigeria (Global Ranking: 29)
- Ghana (Global Ranking: 36)
- Uganda (Global Ranking: 53)
- Ethiopia (Global Ranking: 65)
- Tunisia (Global Ranking: 66)
- Morocco (Global Ranking: 68)
