12 African countries with the lowest English proficiency (2025 Ranking)

SUMMARY

• The 2025 EF EPI data confirms Nigeria and Kenya as leaders in African English proficiency, with Kenya ranking 3rd and Nigeria 5th. This counters recent claims that Nigerian English is "incomprehensible".

• The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has the lowest English proficiency in Africa, followed by other nations where French, Portuguese, or Arabic are the primary languages of daily life and commerce.

• Low proficiency scores in these countries are primarily due to their colonial history, weak educational infrastructure and economic isolation.

With over 2,000 languages spoken across Africa, English is a vital tool for connecting the continent to the rest of the world.

The 2025 EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) recently measured literacy and speaking skills across several nations using AI. 

Following the recent banter between President William Ruto and President Bola Tinubu, the spotlight has shifted from economic comparisons to linguistic ones. 

After President Ruto humorously suggested that Nigerian English requires a "translator", one would wonder, how does Nigeria’s proficiency actually stack up against the rest of the continent?

While President Ruto suggested that Nigerian English is "incomprehensible" and requires a translator, the 2025 rankings reveal that Nigeria remains one of the continent's top performers.

• Kenya ranks 3rd in Africa (19th globally) with a "High Proficiency" rating.

• Nigeria ranks 5th in Africa (29th globally) and maintains a "High Proficiency" status.

Nigeria is far from the bottom of the list. It has actually seen improvements, even climbing above Ghana in the latest rankings.

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Any difficulty in understanding Nigerian English usually comes from the influence of over 500 local languages and distinct sounds, rather than a lack of skill.

Although English is used worldwide for business, many African countries where French, Portuguese, or Arabic are primary languages find it more challenging. 

Here are the countries with the lowest English scores on the continent, according to the 2025 EF EPI data.

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• Proficiency Band: Low

Malawi has dropped into the "Very Low" category this year. Even though English is an official language, it is mostly used in cities and for government work. Most people in the country still mainly speak Chichewa.

• Proficiency Band: Low

Even though French and English are both official languages in Cameroon, most people speak French. In the English-speaking regions, ongoing conflict has made it difficult for many students to stay in school and improve their language skills.

• Proficiency Band: Low

Sudan ranks low because education and daily life focus mostly on Arabic. Ongoing political issues have also made it hard to improve schools or bring in international language programs.

• Proficiency Band: Low

Since Senegal is a Francophone country, French is used for everything official. English is mostly just an elective in schools, so most adults don't speak it fluently.

• Proficiency Band: Low

In Benin, the heavy focus on French in schools and business means people have very little exposure to English in their daily lives.

• Proficiency Band: Low

As a Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) nation, Angola’s primary international ties are with Portugal and Brazil. English instruction lacks the resources and cultural presence needed to move the country out of the Very Low tier.

• Proficiency Band: Low

Rwanda is in a period of transition. While the government officially switched to an English-based education system years ago, the 2025 EF EPI shows that the general adult population, many of whom were educated in French, still lacks conversational English proficiency.

• Proficiency Band: Very Low

Côte d’Ivoire is a major centre for French culture. While it has a strong economy, most business is done in French, so very few people there speak fluent English.

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• Proficiency Band: Very Low

Tied with Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia faces immense challenges in standardised education. Most of the population relies on Somali and Arabic, with English education being largely inaccessible outside of specialised private institutions.

• Proficiency Band: Very Low

Togo has recently expressed interest in joining the Commonwealth to boost trade, but for now, English remains a distant secondary language. The population’s current grasp of the language is among the lowest globally.

• Proficiency Band: Very Low

Libya’s low score is mostly because the country focuses heavily on Arabic and has limited ties to Western businesses. On top of that, it’s quite hard to find good English teachers or resources in many areas.

• Proficiency Band: Very Low

The DRC holds the title for the lowest English proficiency in Africa. As the world's largest Francophone nation, the environment is dominated by French and local languages like Lingala, leaving English as a very rare third or fourth language.

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Several factors contribute to the "Very Low" proficiency scores across these nations:

• Colonial History: Countries colonised by France, Portugal, or Belgium naturally prioritise those languages over English.

• Educational Infrastructure: In many of the lowest-ranked countries, English is taught as a subject rather than used as a medium of instruction.

• Economic Isolation: Countries with less exposure to international tourism or global tech hubs often have less incentive for the general population to learn English.

While the friendly (and sometimes not-so-friendly) rivalry between Kenya and Nigeria continues, the data proves that both nations are giants of English proficiency in Africa. Nigeria’s English may have a distinct flair, but it is far from the "lowest" on the continent.