Education Japan's English proficiency declines to historic low

[thomas]

Education First (EF), a Swiss international educational institution, annually releases the English Proficiency Index (EPI), the world's largest. The 2024 EPI, based on the test results of 2.1 million non-native English speakers from 116 countries and regions, scored countries on a scale of 800 points, with an average global score of 477. Countries were then categorized into five proficiency bands: Very High, High, Moderate, Low, and Very Low.

Japan ranked 92nd with an average score of 454 points, placing it in the lowest category. This marks a decline from last year's 87th ranking and continues downward since the EPI's inception. Furthermore, a breakdown of the data revealed that Japanese test-takers aged 18-25 performed significantly worse than those aged 26 and older, suggesting a potential need for improved English language education, especially for younger generations.

For reference, the Netherlands scored first place out of all 116 countries and regions on the 2024 EF EPI. The top Asia scorer was Singapore at 3 (Very high proficiency), followed by the Philippines at 22 and Malaysia at 26 (High proficiency). Japan's East Asian neighbors, South Korea and China, scored at 50 (Moderate proficiency) and at 91 (Low proficiency) respectively. The only countries in East or Southeast Asia that scored lower than Japan were Myanmar at 93, Thailand at 106, and Cambodia at 111 (all Very low proficiency). Note, however, that neither Laos nor North Korea were included in the EPI because they did not meet the minimum number of 400 required test takers per country or region.

A representative from EF's Japanese subsidiary commented that Japan's low ranking in the EPI was not due to a decline in English proficiency but to the faster progress made by other countries.

Japan reaches its lowest-ever ranking on Education First’s 2024 English Proficiency Index

Only three other countries from East or Southeast Asia scored lower on the global ranking.

soranews24.com

The entire report and global ranking are listed here:

EF EPI | EF English Proficiency Index | EF United States

The 2025 edition of the EF English Proficiency Index ranks 123 countries and regions by their English skills.

www.ef.edu

 

[Lothor]

A representative from EF's Japanese subsidiary argued that black is white.

 

[musicisgood]

I think in your major cities the English speaking people of Japanese do quite well but once you're out of the major cities it's like English doesn't exist almost not it all the time but being a cyclist and traveling Japan extensively it varies from village to village.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

A representative from EF's Japanese subsidiary commented that Japan's low ranking in the EPI was not due to a decline in English proficiency but to the faster progress made by other countries

The representative must be very proud of the other countries.

 

[JayJJ]

Education First (EF), a Swiss international educational institution, annually releases the English Proficiency Index (EPI), the world's largest. The 2024 EPI, based on the test results of 2.1 million non-native English speakers from 116 countries and regions, scored countries on a scale of 800 points, with an average global score of 477. Countries were then categorized into five proficiency bands: Very High, High, Moderate, Low, and Very Low.

Japan ranked 92nd with an average score of 454 points, placing it in the lowest category. This marks a decline from last year's 87th ranking and continues downward since the EPI's inception. Furthermore, a breakdown of the data revealed that Japanese test-takers aged 18-25 performed significantly worse than those aged 26 and older, suggesting a potential need for improved English language education, especially for younger generations.



A representative from EF's Japanese subsidiary commented that Japan's low ranking in the EPI was not due to a decline in English proficiency but to the faster progress made by other countries.

It's disappointing to see Japan ranked so low, especially when younger people struggle more than older ones. I think there needs to be a major change in the way English is taught, perhaps focusing more on conversation and real-world use. I've been reading about tools that can help improve writing and learning and found https://onlinepaperhelp.net/ which I found useful to work on my assignments. It is clear that although Japan is not getting worse, other countries are moving faster. We should definitely look for better ways to keep up and support students, especially the younger generation.

Japan reaches its lowest-ever ranking on Education First’s 2024 English Proficiency Index

Only three other countries from East or Southeast Asia scored lower on the global ranking.

soranews24.com

The entire report and global ranking are listed here:

EF EPI | EF English Proficiency Index | EF United States

The 2025 edition of the EF English Proficiency Index ranks 123 countries and regions by their English skills.

www.ef.edu

Surprising decline! Maybe Japan's focus on rote learning over practical use is a factor! More conversation-based education could help!

 

[Ukigumo]

I've struggled to learn Japanese to any real level of competency from here in England, because of a lack of exposure to it in everyday life. Watching Japanese films and NHK World helps (although the latter's penchant for having English language voice overs is very unhelpful. I wish they'd stick to English subtitles to help with hearing skills). It seems that immersion in the Japanese language, usually by living in Japan, simply forces the spoken language into one's very being.

As a University academic, my department had a significant number of S.E. Asian students (China being their main origin) who had very poor English language skills despite presenting certificates suggesting they met our levels of proficiency Naturally, they tended to congregate with other, speaking in their native tongue and even preferentially choosing accommodation with others from their country; their only exposure to English was in lectures, tutorials and seminars where highly technical language was used and their education floundered. My strong suggestion to them was to associate with native English-speakers, share accommodation with English speakers and listen to the BBC news where the speakers are very clear just so they had maximum exposure to english. They never took my advice and these studies crashed and burned.

My partner is from Myanmar (mentioned in the report as having low levels of English language proficiency) and when I visited the country, (which was a beautiful place before the military coup, and met her family, friends and associates they all, much to my surprise, spoke excellent English. But then she's a medical doctor as are her friends and her uncle was once prime minister so perhaps her circle have been in education for a longer duration.

 

[Lothor]

I've struggled to learn Japanese to any real level of competency from here in England, because of a lack of exposure to it in everyday life. Watching Japanese films and NHK World helps (although the latter's penchant for having English language voice overs is very unhelpful. I wish they'd stick to English subtitles to help with hearing skills). It seems that immersion in the Japanese language, usually by living in Japan, simply forces the spoken language into one's very being.

As a University academic, my department had a significant number of S.E. Asian students (China being their main origin) who had very poor English language skills despite presenting certificates suggesting they met our levels of proficiency Naturally, they tended to congregate with other, speaking in their native tongue and even preferentially choosing accommodation with others from their country; their only exposure to English was in lectures, tutorials and seminars where highly technical language was used and their education floundered. My strong suggestion to them was to associate with native English-speakers, share accommodation with English speakers and listen to the BBC news where the speakers are very clear just so they had maximum exposure to english. They never took my advice and these studies crashed and burned.

My partner is from Myanmar (mentioned in the report as having low levels of English language proficiency) and when I visited the country, (which was a beautiful place before the military coup, and met her family, friends and associates they all, much to my surprise, spoke excellent English. But then she's a medical doctor as are her friends and her uncle was once prime minister so perhaps her circle have been in education for a longer duration.

If you haven't already read it, you'd probably like the book 'Finding George Orwell in Burma' - he was stationed there as a young man - which speaks very highly of Myanmar's learning/reading culture.

 

[mdchachi]

I've met a handful of people who managed to get conversationally proficient in English despite having never left their home country. I always find that quite impressive. One guy from Hong Kong did it pre-Internet days by immersing himself in American TV.
I only became proficient in Japanese via immersion. My few years of college Japanese allowed me to understand basic grammar so I could speak and say things like "where is the train station?" The problem was I couldn't understand what was spoken back to me even if they used grammar and vocabulary I knew. Listening comprehension was a hurdle but a hurdle I passed quickly by living in Japan. When I was dating I deliberately avoided girls who could speak English well. That strategy worked quite well except I ended up marrying a girl who doesn't speak much English so now I'm up immersed in Japanese to this day. The language between us is Japanese.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

It worked against me , LOL. I got engaged to my Japanese girlfriend because she did not speak any English. Later that was one of her major reasons for refusing to leave Japan. I've always felt guilty for expecting her to give up everything she knew & loved in Japan now that I'm not young & stupid.

 

[salyavin]

If you are wanting practice there are usually conversation groups with nonnative Japanese speakers and some native. The Japanese Conversation Group The Japan Society - Japanese Conversation Group Also online talking with services like HelloTalk - Language Exchange - Learn Languages for Free

way back decades ago I had a tutor those at my company used so I studied in person, I could meet some Japanese students at the local university sometimes too as I was in my 20s so not long out of uni myself. We had no online language exchange like they have now.

Like mdchachi my Japanese wife is not interested in learning English very much so we speak all Japanese at home except when I am helping kids in their studies at "english school" and my wife does the harder job of helping kids study Japanese with the Japanese supplementary school. I do go to the local Japan society conversation group which is every other week I get the bonus of talking to others who lived in Japan and came back, also families at the Japanese supplementary school, and we have a Japanese TV service on all the time (not NHK World all in Japanese).. My wife wants to return to Japan permanently when I turn 60 so I should up my game (I am mid 50s).

 

[Ukigumo]

The East Asian Studies students at the university where I worked had these kinds of sessions; Tandem sessions as they called them. They were in the student pub (every social activity in the U.K. revolves around pubs ) which added to the anxiety of being twice the age of the students present and a member of staff too I just stumbled and didn't know how to start a conversation and just found it very stressful. I never attended again. However I have no fear of attempting to speak to locals in Japan

 

[Grandpa Frank]

The Japanese bar where I worked had school drop outs and hippy types working there with me. Much of the Japanese I learned from the US college course I took was not used there in everyday speech , so I learned a lot of Japanese from the friends around me. The first trip to Tokyo should have been a warning to me when people there asked if I learned my Japanese from a retarded fisherman , LOL. When I got back to the states I took a night school class with a very formal instructor. After the second class , she asked me to PLEASE not to use "MY" Japanese in class as it was so bad .

 

[mdchachi]

The East Asian Studies students at the university where I worked had these kinds of sessions; Tandem sessions as they called them. They were in the student pub (every social activity in the U.K. revolves around pubs ) which added to the anxiety of being twice the age of the students present and a member of staff too I just stumbled and didn't know how to start a conversation and just found it very stressful. I never attended again. However I have no fear of attempting to speak to locals in Japan

If there's a system of volunteer guiding you could join that and volunteer to escort Japanese visitors around your town.

 

[salyavin]

The East Asian Studies students at the university where I worked had these kinds of sessions; Tandem sessions as they called them. They were in the student pub (every social activity in the U.K. revolves around pubs ) which added to the anxiety of being twice the age of the students present and a member of staff too I just stumbled and didn't know how to start a conversation and just found it very stressful. I never attended again. However I have no fear of attempting to speak to locals in Japan

Local to me the Japan Society meetings are usually 40s to 50s but some younger. If you are in London area you should take a peak. At this point I am the age of fathers of University students so yea it could feel hard to find common ground to have conversations.