South Korea's English Proficiency Drops to 49th Place Compared to Last Year... China and Japan Fall Further

Decline in East Asian Adults' English Proficiency Over the Past 4 Years
"Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Political Demographic Changes" Analysis

A survey revealed that the English proficiency of South Korea, China, and Japan has declined compared to a year ago. The Swiss English education company Education First (EF) released the "2023 English Proficiency Index" (EPI).

Since 2011, EF has analyzed the results of its standardized English test, EF SET (EF Standard English Test), and published rankings of English proficiency in non-English-speaking countries. This year's English proficiency index was calculated based on the scores of 2.2 million test takers aged 18 and over from 113 countries who took the EF SET last year.

The Netherlands ranked first in the index, with European countries generally showing strong performance. In Asia, Singapore ranked second, marking the highest position among Asian countries for the second consecutive year.

South Korea ranked 49th, dropping 13 places from 36th last year. China ranked 82nd, and Japan ranked 87th, falling 20 and 7 places respectively compared to last year.

In Asia, the Philippines (20th), Malaysia (25th), and Hong Kong (29th) ranked higher than South Korea, while Vietnam (58th), India and Bangladesh (60th), and Indonesia (79th) ranked above China and Japan.

Ranks 1 to 12 are classified as "very high proficiency," ranks 13 to 30 as "high proficiency," and ranks 31 to 63, where South Korea falls, as "moderate proficiency." China and Japan, ranked 64 to 90, are in the "low proficiency" category, and ranks 92 to 113 are considered "very low proficiency."

Middle school students attentively listening to an after-school English class
[Photo by Yonhap News]

EF pointed out, "Adult English proficiency in East Asia has weakened over the past four years, especially in Japan where it has declined over the past decade," adding, "During the same period, the number of East Asian students admitted to U.S. universities has significantly decreased, with South Korean students dropping 20% and Chinese students 30% compared to 2020."

They further analyzed, "While travel restrictions due to COVID-19 have had an impact, the decline in English proficiency is a sign of broader political and demographic changes," and "It may also be evidence of growing confidence in questioning Western cultural hegemony in education."

In China, English education has been in decline in recent years. The Chinese authorities strictly regulated private education through the "Shuangjian (雙減) policy" in July 2021, aimed at reducing the economic burden on families and curbing reckless capital expansion by easing homework and tutoring burdens for elementary and middle school students. As a result, after-school private education including English was banned, leading most related companies and academies to close and causing hundreds of thousands of job losses.

In March, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) proposed changing English from a mandatory subject to an elective in the college entrance examination. In March last year, the National People's Congress (NPC) saw proposals to reduce English class hours, sparking debates.

Those advocating for reducing English classes argue that Western influence should be further diminished and Chinese cultural promotion strengthened instead. However, opponents claim that reducing English education is a form of isolationism that hinders academic development.

Dexter Roberts, a China researcher at the University of Montana, told Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 24th, "This is a sign of a bigger issue of less friendly relations with the West, including the United States."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.