The International Language Education Agency EF Education has released a 2024 survey of 116 non-native english-speaking countries and regions, Kyodo News reported Monday, japan’s English proficiency index fell to 92nd, its lowest on record. Japan’s ranking has continued to slide since the 2011 survey.
The survey analysed data from online tests taken by about 2.1 m people around the world last year, with European countries leading the pack, with the Netherlands topping the list for the sixth year in a row. Compared with last year’s results, the Japanese dropped five places to 16th out of 23 Asian countries and regions surveyed. By contrast, the Chinese have ranked higher than the Japanese in English proficiency for almost two years.
Tokyo, Osaka, Kawasaki, Yokohama and Kyoto are the top five cities in the Japanese English proficiency index, according to the report. Japan’s“Daily News” mentioned that the most important indicator is the stagnant level of English among young Japanese. Age analysis shows that Japanese over-26s are more likely to use English at work, but the index for those aged 18 to 25 falls significantly compared with the overall average, this could be a loss of will to learn and communicate as a result of the global pandemic.
A representative of EF Education’s Japanese subsidiary argues that“Japanese English is not falling, but falling behind the rise of other countries and regions”. This spring, the results of a survey of English proficiency in public schools showed that 39 percent of Miyagi’s third-grade students met the standards, the lowest in the country.