PR98770

ZURICH, Nov. 15, 2022, /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Worldwide English Trends Revealed in Survey of Over Two Million Adults

EF Education First [ https://www.ef.com/ ] (EF) today released the 2022 edition

of its EF English Proficiency Index [ https://www.ef.com/epi ] (EF EPI),

analyzing data from 2.1 million non-native English speakers in 111 countries

and regions. The Netherlands retained first place, while Singapore surged to

second, cracking the top three again since becoming the first ASEAN nation to

do so in 2018.

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"This year's index reflects the pandemic's impact – from a concerning decline

in English proficiency among young people to unexpectedly high proficiency

outside big cities, which has remote work implications," said EF EPI author

Kate Bell. "The report tracks stories of remarkable progress and discouraging

setbacks."

The EF EPI is based on scores from the EF Standard English Test [

https://www.efset.org/ ] (EF SET), used by governments, companies, and schools

for large-scale testing as well as millions of individual test takers.  

Key findings include:

-  English proficiency improved for adults over 25, with over 40s improving the

most. Proficiency among adults 21 – 25 was unchanged but declined for the 18-20

cohort by a striking 50 points since 2020.

-  In Europe, lower-proficiency groups are catching up, with large countries

bordering the European Union fueling the region's continuing rise. Europe is

the only region where young adults have not lost ground.

-  Central and South America continue to improve remarkably; but have the

widest age-related score difference in the world, with scores for the 18-20

cohort declining significantly since 2020.

-  Asia's regional average declined slightly due to drops in the Philippines

and China, although most countries surveyed improved somewhat and three climbed

into a higher proficiency band.

-  This year, the gender gap has widened, with men's English proficiency

continuing to outpace women. This appears to be driven by biased education

systems or unequal access.  

-  Large cities don't always have the best English. Of the 500+ cities

measured, 130 did not outscore their region and another 130 barely did. This

has implications for recruitment given the shift toward remote work.

-  English proficiency in Africa and the Middle East was stable. Outcomes

remain stubbornly low across ages in the Middle East, although a narrowing

gender-related proficiency gap is a positive development.  Africa has some of

the widest proficiency gaps in the world, both in age and gender.

The EF EPI report is available for download [ https://www.ef.com/epi/downloads/

].

EF Education First provides culturally immersive education through language,

travel, cultural exchange, and academic programs in over 100 countries. Founded

in Sweden in 1965, EF's mission is opening the world through education.

SOURCE: EF Education First (EF)