Malaysia ranks among the top three countries in Asia for proficiency in the English language, according to a 2022 survey released by EF Education First (EF) on Tuesday (15 November).
Every year, the international education company EF publishes its rankings of non-native English speakers for both global and regional rankings using its English Proficiency Index (EPI).
Photo via EF EPI
Malaysia earned a total of 574 on the EPI, equivalent to “high” in terms of proficiency level score, and is ranked 24th globally this year, four places higher than last year.
This also placed Malaysia in the top three countries in Asia, just behind our neighbor, Singapore with a score of 642 and the Philippines scoring 578. The survey also found that while other Asian countries performed reasonably well, Asia’s regional average in the EPI fell as a result of the Philippines and China’s reported poor performance.
The study’s author, Kate Bell said that this year’s index reflects the pandemic’s impact: “From a worrying decline in English proficiency among young people to unexpectedly high proficiency outside of big cities, which has remote work implications.”
Photo via EF EPI
The report also revealed that the improvement of English proficiency among adults over 25, with adults aged 40 and over showing the most improvement.
While proficiency in the 21-25 age group remained constant, the 18-20 age group experienced the biggest recorded decline, dropping by 50 points since 2020.
The Netherlands remained at the top of the list of English-speaking nations in the world, while other European countries like Austria, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Portugal and Germany also made it to the top 10.
Wah, what a great achievement. Well done, Malaysians!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
