Approximately 1.5 billion people speak English worldwide, making it one of the most spoken languages in the world. It is taught as a required skill in the majority of countries and is recognized as an international business language. 142 nations around the world require English instruction as a part of their national curricula, according to a University of Winnipeg survey. Additionally, 41 countries recognize it as a widely used foreign language.
Look at the 5 countries with the worst English accents in the world.
5. United Arab Emirates
- IELTS Speaking Average Score: 5.7
- EPI Score: 486
- IELTS Average Score: 5.4
The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates located on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula . According to the World Bank, the population of the United Arab Emirates in 2022 will be approximately 9.4 million. The official language of the United Arab Emirates is Arabic, with English, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu, Pashto, Farsi, and Tagalog being spoken as minor languages.
4. Uzbekistan
- IELTS speaking average score: 5.7
- EPI score: 442
- IELTS average score: 5.8
Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, with a population of over 35.6 million in 2022. The official language is Uzbek. Tawny and the most commonly spoken language. About 74.3% of the population speaks it. Other languages spoken in Uzbekistan are Russian and Tajik. The country ranks 4th on the list of 20 countries with the worst English accents in the world, with an average IELTS speaking score of 5.7.
3. China
- IELTS speaking average score: 5.6
- EPI score: 464
- IELTS average score: 6.1
China is also an East Asian country that occupies almost the entire East Asian continent. According to the World Bank, the country’s population in 2022 was 1.41 billion. Mandarin, or Mandarin Chinese, is the official language of China, along with other dialects spoken throughout China. China ranks third on her list of countries with the worst English accents, with an average IELTS speaking score of 5.6.
2. Oman
- IELTS Speaking Average Score: 5.6
- EPI Score: 418
- IELTS Average Score: 5.3
Oman is a country in the Middle East bordering the Arabian Sea, the Gulf bordering Oman, and the Persian Gulf. Oman speaks Arabic as its official language and had a population of over 4.5 million as of 2022. His average IELTS speaking score from Oman is 5.6 and his EPI score of 418 ranks him at the bottom of the English First Performance Index.
1. Japan
- IELTS speaking average score: 5.5
- EPI score: 457
- IELTS average score: 5.9
Japan is an island country on the east coast of Asia. According to the World Bank, Japan’s population in 2022 will exceed 125 million people, with Japanese being the official and most widely spoken language. Japan has one of the worst English accents in the world, with an average IELTS speaking score of 5.5.