In a study by the language platform Preply, Amsterdam and Delft were named the most “English” cities in the Netherlands. According to the research, these are the cities in the Netherlands that provide the easiest experience for internationals who do not speak Dutch.

Preply study on use of English in Dutch cities

The Dutch have been ranked as the best non-native English speakers in the world many times over, but which city has the most English speakers? The aim of the study by Preply was to investigate which of the Dutch municipalities have become most anglicised due to tourism and internationals moving to the Netherlands for work and studies. 

In order to do this, the online language school looked at factors such as the number of non-EU workers per 100.000 inhabitants, the percentage of English vacancies on Indeed.nl, the percentage of tourists per province and the percentage of international students in 20 large cities in the Netherlands. 

Amsterdam and Delft are the most English 

With a score of 64 points, Amsterdam and Delft are tied in first place as the cities where the most English is spoken. With 10 tourists visiting Amsterdam per resident, internationals making up 18,5 percent of university students, and 21 percent of job vacancies on Indeed posted in English, it’s no surprise that the Dutch capital is at the top of the list.

Delft also draws in its share of tourists, with around a million international travellers visiting the city per year. Tourists visit the city for its characteristic Delfts Blauw and Vermeer, while students come from abroad for its technical university. Internationals make up more than 25 percent of all HBO and university students in Delft, with many of them staying in the Dutch city for work after graduating. Most of them are likely to find a job in English too, with over 9 percent of Indeed’s job vacancies in English. 

10 most English-speaking cities in the Netherlands

These are the Dutch cities where English is spoken the most:

1. Amsterdam, Delft (64)
2. The Hague (55)
3. Eindhoven (54)
4. Leiden (51)
5. Wageningen (50)
6. Maastricht, Rotterdam (46)
7. Breda, Utrecht (38)
8. Groningen (33)
9. Enschede, Tilburg (30)
10. Nijmegen (29)

For more information about the study and to see the full ranking, visit the Preply website.

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