English speaking countries in Europe: all 27 EU states ranked

Last updated: 2026-08-21

Language is the biggest day-to-day worry for many people moving abroad. The good news: in several EU countries you can live, work and handle most of daily life in English while you pick up the local language. This guide covers where English gets you furthest, ranks all 27 EU countries, and explains why you will still want the local language in the long run.

Three kinds of “English-friendly”

English is official or co-official: you can do almost everything in English (Ireland and Malta).
English is not official, but proficiency is very high: most people and many services speak it well (the Netherlands, the Nordics, Luxembourg and others).
English works in expat and tourist settings: but you will need the local language for paperwork, healthcare and smaller towns.

All 27 EU countries by English-friendliness

Here is where MoveMap’s model rates every EU country for getting by in English, highest first (illustrative scores only):

Country	English*	Local language
Ireland	98	English
Malta	95	Maltese, English
Sweden	92	Swedish
Denmark	90	Danish
Netherlands	90	Dutch
Luxembourg	85	French, German
Cyprus	80	Greek
Finland	80	Finnish
Estonia	75	Estonian
Belgium	70	Dutch, French
Lithuania	70	Lithuanian
Portugal	70	Portuguese
Latvia	68	Latvian
Slovenia	68	Slovenian
Austria	65	German
Germany	65	German
Croatia	60	Croatian
Czechia	60	Czech
Greece	60	Greek
Poland	60	Polish
Romania	60	Romanian
Slovakia	58	Slovak
Hungary	55	Hungarian
Spain	55	Spanish
Bulgaria	50	Bulgarian
France	50	French
Italy	45	Italian

*MoveMap EU's rough relative score (0-100), illustrative only, not an official proficiency index. Higher means easier to live day-to-day in English.

You will still want the local language

Even in the most English-friendly countries, learning the local language pays off: it opens jobs, friendships and life outside the big cities, and it smooths bureaucracy. It also matters for status, because many residence and citizenship routes require a language test, often around A2 to B1 level. Treat English as your soft landing, not your long-term plan.

Match it to your situation

How much English matters depends on you: whether you will work remotely in English, need a local job, have school-age children, or plan to naturalize. The MoveMap check weighs English-friendliness alongside cost, documents and lifestyle to rank all 27 EU countries for your specific case.

Frequently asked questions

Which European country speaks the best English?

Ireland at 98/100 and Malta at 95, because English is an official language in both, which removes the paperwork problem rather than just the conversation problem. Among countries where English is genuinely a second language, Sweden leads at 92, with Denmark and the Netherlands at 90 and Luxembourg at 85.

Can I work in Europe speaking only English?

In international companies, tech, research, EU institutions and the high-scoring countries above, yes, and many people build entire careers that way. Where it does not work is anything client-facing in the local market, most public-sector roles, healthcare, teaching and skilled trades. The other limit is progression: staying monolingual tends to cap how far you move inside a local company.

Which EU countries have the least English?

Italy is lowest in our model at 45/100, with Bulgaria and France at 50, then Hungary and Spain at 55. Read those as national averages rather than a description of where you would actually live: English in Milan, Paris, Madrid or Sofia is far better than the national score, and the gap between a capital and a small town is usually wider than the gap between two countries.

How these numbers are made

Updated 2026-08-21

The 0-100 figures in this ranking are MoveMap EU's own comparative estimates, not official statistics or a third-party index. They are built to rank the 27 countries against each other from public cost, wage, language and institutional data, and they are calibrated to be directionally right rather than precise to the point. Where a figure comes from a dated external dataset, such as the tax pages, the source and check date are named on that page.

The full weighting is written up on our methodology page. Published by Dobreon sp. z o.o., Krakow, Poland (VAT PL6772528744). Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

See which EU country fits you

Answer a quick check and get a personalized report ranking all 27 EU countries for your finances, lifestyle, documents and long-term plans.

Start the relocation check Get personal help