Why Some Countries Might Be More Friendly

APRIL 25, 2026 BLOG POST

I was recently contemplating why the people were so unfriendly in Spain. I realized that some countries might be more friendly to English-speaking tourists because of the country's level of English proficiency. In doing some research, I learned that few people speak English in Spain, as TV shows are dubbed not subtitled. Also, public schools hire Spanish speakers, rather than native-English speakers, to teach English grammar and vocabulary that is not very useful, rather than conversational English that would come in handy. People who have attended private schools as children are more likely to be able to speak English.
My theory is that generally people tend to be less friendly when they know that they don't speak English well, because they are apprehensive as you approach them. People in the tech industry speak better English than people in government, for example, which might explain the lack of friendliness you encounter when dealing with government ticket offices. This EF report about English proficiency by country is interesting. It might explain why English-speaking tourists have chosen to travel to Portugal instead of Spain in recent years. Portugal has a much higher English proficiency, making the Portuguese less apprehensive as you approach them and more welcoming. I wonder if my theory is right!
If so, if I don't have time to become highly proficient at their native language, I'd like to visit these European countries that are ranked as Very High (5) on the EF English Proficiency List in the hope that I have a more pleasant time: Portugal, Croatia, Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Nordic countries. 
Other countries that rank as High (4): Latvia, North Macedonia, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Czechia, Serbia, Switzerland, Estonia.
This might also explain why older people are less friendly in countries such as Holland or Switzerland, because English proficiency is much higher among the younger generation.
But, my theory falls flat a little when I think of the hotel front desk people in Spain this year and in France two years ago. I think all had similar high levels of English proficiency. In France, everyone was cheerful and pleasant at checkin and when we asked for something we needed, whether I spoke French or not. But in Spain, the contempt was thick right from the start, with contrarian and passive aggressive behavior throughout the entire stay (except in Cordoba).