Balearic Islands is positioned as the fifth autonomous community with the worst level of English in Spain, according to the annual report of English level in adults of Education First (EF). With a score of 526, the Islands are below the national average, which stands at 538 points, and far from leading regions such as Galicia (564) and Madrid (551). The report, based on the results of 2.1 million non-native English speakers in 116 countries and regions, points out that Extremadura ranks last among the autonomous communities with 501 points, followed by La Rioja (512), Castilla-La Mancha (526) and Murcia (526), all in the same range of average level of language proficiency as the Balearic Islands.
A mixed picture in Spain
While the Balearic Islands and other communities show worrying figures, Galicia and Madrid stand out as the only regions to achieve a high level of English. On the other hand, communities such as Asturias, Catalonia, the Basque Country, Navarre and Aragon are in the intermediate range, but exceed the national average.
In terms of cities, Vigo leads the Spanish ranking with a score of 585, followed by Gijón (575) and Zaragoza (565). At the other extreme, Tarragona (517), Murcia (523), Salamanca (531) and Burgos (537) are below the national average, reflecting a significant gap between different areas of the country.
Spain, far from European leadership
Globally, Spain ranks 36th in English proficiency, a drop from the previous year when it was 35th. No Spanish region reaches the “Very High” category, present in countries such as the Netherlands or Germany. In addition, the report notes that the level of English proficiency among 18-20 year olds has worsened, from 514 points in 2023 to 509 in 2024. A slight decline is also observed in the 31-40 and 41+ age groups.
Challenges for the Balearic Islands and Spain
The EF report highlights the need to implement strategies to improve English language learning, especially in communities such as the Balearic Islands, where the tourism sector makes this knowledge even more crucial. Although the level of English in Spain has improved in some areas, such as in the 21-25 age group, there is still a long way to go to reach the standards of other European countries.
