BANGKOK: Thailand's English proficiency is among the lowest in Asia, according to the latest EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) survey.
Thailand ranked 101 out of 113 non-native English-speaking countries and fell into the "very low proficiency" category with score of only 416. The global average score is 502.
In Asia, Thailand ranks 21 of 23.
Chiang Mai top-scored with 464 followed by Bangkok (457), Phuket (456) and Songkhla (437).
The EF EPI is based on test scores from the EF Standard English Test (EF SET), an online, adaptive English test of reading and listening skills. It is a standardised, objectively scored test designed to classify test takers' language abilities into one of the six levels established by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
More than 2.2 million test takers in 113 countries around the world took the EF Standard English Test in 2022.
The EF EPI places the surveyed countries and territories into five proficiency bands, from Very High to Very Low.
Netherlands ranked first in the EF EPI with a score of 647, followed by Singapore (631), Austria (616), Denmark (615) and Norway (614).
In Asia, Singapore tops the list followed by Philippines (578), Malaysia (568), Hong Kong (558), and South Korea (525).
In its executive summary, it stated South and Southeast Asia have seen a slight drop in their level of English on average, although many countries in the region have stable or modestly rising scores.
"The regional averages are impacted by India's level of English proficiency, which has been declining slowly over several years.
"In addition, the progress Thailand was making until 2020 has been erased by the pandemic. English proficiency in Central Asia is low and stable, with higher-than average gender gaps in favour of men in almost every country," it said. – BERNAMA