The English-language skills of Sweden's adult population is the best in the world, among non-native English speakers, according to new rankings of 60 countries.

Smaller European countries proved to be the most proficient in English, according to language learning company EF Education First's English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) - the world's most comprehensive ranking of English ability. The analysis showed that better English could help smaller countries to improve their international competitiveness.

"We found that by engaging in a national dialogue about English, stakeholders can help align goals, improve incentives, and focus on teaching English for communication. The economic impact of such a coordinated program is clear", said Dr.Christopher McCormick, Head of EF's Academic Affairs and Research Network.

The annual rankings cover countries and territories in Europe, Asia, North Africa and Latin America where English is not the native language, based on tests taken by 750,000 adults.

EF Education First was established in Sweden in 1965 "with the mission to break down barriers of language, culture, and geography".

Rank Country
1 Sweden
2 Norway
3 Netherlands
4 Estonia
5 Denmark
6 Austria
7 Finland
8 Poland
9 Hungary
10 Slovenia
11 Malaysia
12 Singapore
13 Belgium
14 Germany
15 Latvia
16 Switzerland
17 Portugal
18 Slovakia
19 Argentina
20 Czech Republic
21 India
22 Hong Kong SAR
23 Spain
24 South Korea
25 Indonesia
26 Japan
27 Ukraine
28 Vietnam
29 Uruguay
30 Sri Lanka
31 Russia
32 Italy
33 Taiwan
34 China
35 France
36 United Arab Emirates
37 Costa Rica
38 Brazil
39 Peru
40 Mexico
41 Turkey
42 Iran
43 Egypt
44 Chile
45 Morocco
46 Colombia
47 Kuwait
48 Ecuador
49 Venezuela
50 Jordan
51 Qatar
52 Guatemala
53 El Salvador
54 Libya
55 Thailand
56 Panama
57 Kazakhstan
58 Algeria
59 Saudi Arabia
60 Iraq