Interesting results from a survey of who speaks English in other countries

Who speaks English? is fascinating.  A recent survey found:

* Wealthy countries do better overall.

* Countries that export more are better at English (though it’s not clear which factor causes which). 

* Starting young, while it seems a good idea, may not pay off: children between eight and 12 learn foreign languages faster than younger ones, so each class hour on English is better spent on a 10-year-old than on a six-year-old.