This Southeast Asian Country Has the Best English Proficiency, According to EF

According to the 2023 English Proficiency Index (EPI) from Education First (EF), Singapore has the most English-proficient population in Southeast Asia.

The Lion City also ranks second globally with an EPI score of 631 points in 2023.

The EPI score is calculated based on English proficiency test results involving 2.2 million respondents in 113 countries.

The test uses the EF Standard English Test (EF SET) system, accessible for free via efset.org.

The maximum EF SET score is 800 and is divided into five proficiency categories: very high (600-800 points), high (550-599), medium (500-549), low (450-499), and very low (<450).

Thus, English proficiency in Singapore falls into the very high category.

Next is the Philippines, which achieved an EPI score of 597 points, followed by Malaysia and Vietnam, which scored 568 and 505 points respectively, falling into the high category.

Indonesia is ranked 5th in Southeast Asia and 79th globally with an EPI score of 473 points, falling into the low category along with Myanmar, which scored 450 points.

Meanwhile, Cambodia and Thailand fall into the very low category with scores of 421 and 416 points respectively.

EF acknowledges that the sample of participants in the 2023 EPI test is biased, as it only represents the population interested in learning English and does not fully represent a country's demographics.

However, EF claims its sample is fairly balanced between male and female respondents and includes English learners from various age ranges.

"Only cities, regions, and countries with a minimum of 400 test participants are included in the index. However, in many cases, the number of test participants from several regions is much larger," said the EF team in its report.

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