Netherlands

Total English Speakers: 16,367,382

Proficiency: 95%

Dutch is the official language of the Netherlands, but because of their central location the country is a melting pot for French, German and English languages, and because of this, a vast majority of the population speaks more than one language, with the vast majority of Dutch people being able to speak three or more.

Because of this, it is estimated that 95% of the population can speak English, meaning that English speakers can fit in well without having to learn the official languages. If you do want to learn the official languages, Dutch and Frisian (a dialect used in certain parts of the Netherlands) are known as the easiest languages to learn for English speakers, making your transition into Dutch life and culture even easier.

Iceland

Total English Speakers: 338,623

Proficiency: 90%

Iceland is the country with the smallest population on this list, while its official language is Icelandic, English is very widely spoken especially in the capital city of Reykjavík. With the number of people immigrating to Iceland reaching an all-time high in 2022, Iceland is becoming a popular place to move to.

It’s estimated that 90% of the Icelandic population speaks English, and even though over 66% of the population live within the Reykjavík region, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t understand or speak English in the capital.

Malta

Total English Speakers: 391,119

Proficiency: 88%

Another small country, but a much warmer one is Malta. Malta has English as its joint official language alongside Maltese, so if moving to Malta, you will already know the official language before getting there. It is estimated that 88% of the Maltese population speaks English.

Malta is a very lucrative place for immigration, with over 22% of the population being immigrants and a third being from Europe. Many of these Maltese immigrants will be from Britain, with the warm weather and official English language making it easy and enjoyable to live there.

Sweden

Total English Speakers: 7,281,310

Proficiency: 71%

Sweden is known for its high quality of life, with high wages and investments in education and healthcare. You rarely see a top 10 when it comes to the best or happiest countries to live in without Sweden in it. It’s also a very easy country to live in for English speakers.

Sweden, much like other Scandinavian countries, has a language that derives from Germanic, the same as English, therefore English is an easier language to learn for Swedes, and Swedish is an easier language to learn for English speakers. This is one of the main reasons why an estimated 71% of the population speaks English.

Norway

Total English Speakers: 3,757,906

Proficiency: 68%

Norway is another country that is known for its high quality of life, it has one of the best healthcare systems in the world and a focus on eco-friendly living. Although Norway is around 141,500 km² bigger than the UK, it has a population of 5.5 million, which is 62.1 million people less than the UK. Therefore, a lot of expats will go there for a quieter life in a sparser country.

Norway’s official language is Norwegian, which much like the other Scandinavian countries, derives from Germanic and unlike English and other Germanic languages, Norwegian words often have a straightforward pronunciation making it easier for English speakers to learn.

Denmark

Total English Speakers: 3,914,645

Proficiency: 67%

Another Scandinavian country on this list is Denmark, where the official language is Danish but English and German are very popular throughout the country. However, If you are looking outside of Denmark to the Faroe Islands and Greenland, countries that are part of the Kingdom of Denmark, there are a few other languages to take into account. Although both have a large Danish-speaking population, the official language of the Faroe Islands is Faroese and the official language of Greenland is Greenlandic.

In the country of Denmark, it is estimated that 67% of the population will speak English. Danish has a very large vocabulary and an expanded alphabet but despite these obstacles, it is one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn.

Finland

Total English Speakers: 3,670,936

Proficiency: 66%

The last Scandinavian country and the easternmost country on this list, Finland, still has a large population of English speakers. There are two official languages of Finland, Finnish and Swedish, however, Finnish is the language that is most popular in Finland. Although Swedish is one of the official languages of Finland, it is estimated that more people speak English than Swedish in the country.

Finland is known for its natural beauty, its low crime rate and being one of the happiest countries in the world. However, unlike the other Scandinavian languages which are regarded as easy to learn for English speakers - Finnish is a notoriously hard language to learn for English speakers as Finnish derives from the Uralic language instead of Germanic.

Luxembourg

Total English Speakers: 429,816

Proficiency: 66%

Luxembourg is the 7th smallest country in Europe and is a very multilingual country. The official language of Luxembourg is Luxembourgish and is spoken by a large majority of the country. German and French are also listed as the official languages of Luxembourg and until 1984, they were the only official languages of Luxembourg.

Although not an official language of Luxembourg, English is widely spoken throughout the country and Luxembourg is very open to multilingualism, making it an easy place to immerse yourself in life and culture.

Slovenia

Total English Speakers: 1,351,769

Proficiency: 65%

Slovenia is the only Eastern European country on this list and is a melting pot of languages. Slovenian is the official language of Slovenia, however, Hungarian and Italian are both recognised as co-official languages. Although they are co-official languages of the country, Italian and Hungarian still don’t make the top three languages spoken in Slovenia (aside from Slovenia).

Croatian, English, and German are all widely spoken in Slovenia and are more popular than Hungarian and Italian, with an estimated 65% of the population being able to speak English. Slovenia is known for its grasp of foreign languages, being hailed as having a high competence in the German language, higher than any country outside of Germanic countries.

English and Croatian are more widely understood and spoken among the younger generations, with older generations being more inclined to understand Croatian but not as much English.

Germany

Total English Speakers: 54,046,639

Proficiency: 64%

With by far the highest number of English speakers on this list, Germany has an estimated 64% of its population speak English. English is a popular language in Germany and is only beaten in popularity by the official language of Germany, German. English is taught well in German schools, and many businesses operate in Germany with English as their first language.

Germany’s larger cities are a hotbed for multilingualism, and in these cities, you will be able to live comfortably just by speaking English. German is considered an easy language to learn for English speakers, coming from similar origins, German and English share vocabulary that is around 40% similar to each other.