Average TOEFL Scores by Native Language
| Language | Reading | Listening | Speaking | Writing | TOTAL |
| Arabic | 16 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 73 |
| Bengali | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 93 |
| Chinese | 21 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 79 |
| English | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 93 |
| Farsi | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 82 |
| French | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 85 |
| German | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 98 |
| Hindi | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 95 |
| Italian | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 90 |
| Japanese | 18 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 71 |
| Korean | 22 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 84 |
| Portuguese | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 87 |
| Punjabi | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 90 |
| Russian | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 85 |
| Spanish | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 85 |
| Swedish | 21 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 92 |
| Tagalog | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 89 |
| Turkish | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 78 |
| Urdu | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 93 |
| Vietnamese | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 82 |
As per the data provided, the languages with the highest average TOEFL scores include Dutch at 99, followed by Estonian, German, and Konkani tied at 98. Similarly, Danish, Galician, Luxembourgish, and Malayalam share an average score of 97. On the other hand, languages with the lowest average TOEFL scores consist of Bambara at 58, while Lao and Mossi tied at 61, and Javanese at 63.
The notable high scores among Dutch and German speakers may not come as a surprise, given the linguistic similarities these languages share with English as West Germanic languages. Moreover, languages spoken in Nordic countries, such as Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian, exhibit high TOEFL averages, likely due to the strong emphasis on English education and its global significance.
The inclusion of English in this chart might raise questions, especially considering its average score of 93 rather than a perfect 120. Native English speakers may need to take the TOEFL under certain circumstances, such as not growing up in an English-speaking country, not being citizens of such countries, or not attending English-speaking educational institutions. Additionally, native English speakers could participate in ETS studies or aspire to become ESL teachers, prompting them to undertake the TOEFL for better comprehension of its content.
This inclusion underscores the fact that even native English speakers are not guaranteed perfect TOEFL scores. The lower-than-expected average score of 92 among native English speakers is likely due to inadequate preparation for the exam and an over-reliance on innate fluency. Therefore, thorough preparation for the TOEFL is crucial regardless of one’s native language.
Average TOEFL Score: What is Good?What Is the Average TOEFL Score for Different Groups of Test Takers?
Average TOEFL Score: The average TOEFL score shows how well most people do on the test. It’s around 82 points, according to the organization that makes the TOEFL, called ETS. They look at different things like education level, why people take the test, gender, where they’re from, and what language they speak. This helps you see how your score compares to others.
Knowing the average score can help you set goals for your own TOEFL score and figure out where you need to improve. In this article, we will discuss the average TOEFL Score in detail.
What is an Average TOEFL Score?