S’pore is 3rd most proficient country in English globally & best among Asian countries

Singapore ranked third best in English proficiency

Singapore has ranked third in this year’s EF English Proficiency Index (EPI).

The annual index calculates scores from those who took part in the online EF Standard English Test (EF SET).

2.1 million adults’ EF SET results were analysed in the 2024 index.

It did not include mainly English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom.

Nine countries scored high enough to be included in the “very high proficiency” band, all European except for Singapore.

In 2024, Singapore achieved a score of 609 points.

This placed it ahead of Sweden by one point and behind Norway by the same amount.

However, the first place winner, the Netherlands, held a noticeable margin above the others at 636 points.

Nonetheless, Singapore’s score gave it the top spot in Asia.

The Philippines took second place in the region with 570 points.

Meanwhile, Malaysia closed in Asia’s third place with 566 points.

Despite the good ranking, Singapore suffered a noticeable drop in points from 2023.

The little red dot was the second best in the world last year with 631 points, 22 more than this year’s.

In 2022, Singapore did even better with a score of 642.

Local men performed better than women at 618 points to 600 in 2024.

However, both genders suffered a proficiency decrease compared to last year.

Asia in general saw English proficiency decline more than any other region, especially for those aged 18 to 20.

Japan, for example, hit a record low since the EPI began in 2011. The country was ranked 92nd this year with 454 points.

Also read: S’pore Most Proficient In English Among Asian Countries, 2nd Globally After The Netherlands

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Featured image by MS News.