Malaysia has achieved one of the highest levels of English proficiency globally, particularly in Asia, according to the latest EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) survey.
The survey categorised 113 non-native English-speaking countries into five proficiency bands, with Malaysia placed in the second-highest tier of ‘High Proficiency.’
In the Asian rankings, Malaysia holds the third position, with Singapore and the Philippines taking the first and second spots, respectively. Globally, Malaysia ranks 25th in the index. Kuala Lumpur is the only Malaysian city listed in the EF EPI 2023 City scores, maintaining a ‘High Proficiency’ categorization.
For the 2023 index, Malaysia scored 568, a slight decrease of six points from the previous year, while Kuala Lumpur scored 564. The global average is 502.
Notably, Perak emerges as the region in Malaysia with the highest English proficiency (587), and Kuantan leads as the top city (603). The age group of 26-30 exhibits the highest average score in the country, with a score of 582.
The EF EPI utilises scores from the EF Standard English Test (EF SET), an online test evaluating reading and listening skills. The test classifies language abilities into one of six levels established by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This edition of the EF EPI is based on test data from over 2,200,000 test takers worldwide who completed the EF SET in 2022.
