Japan Falls to Record Low of 96th in EF's 2025 English Proficiency Index

Japan scores 446 as its global ranking slides again

Japan has fallen to 96th out of 123 countries and regions in the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index, its lowest position since the ranking began in 2011. Its average score of 446 is eight points below last year's result and 42 points below the global average of 488.

The index, produced by EF Education First from 2.2 million adult test results, places Japan in the low proficiency band. The result marks an eleventh consecutive year of decline and leaves the country behind many Asian peers that compete with it for trade, talent and tourism.

Japan ranks 18th among the 25 Asian countries and territories included. Malaysia leads the region, while the Philippines and Hong Kong are also strong performers. South Korea is ahead of Japan, as is China, although China's score is close to Japan's.

The biggest weakness appears when adults need to express themselves. Japan scored 454 in reading and 437 in listening, compared with 394 in writing and 393 in speaking. The difference between reading and speaking is 61 points. Understanding words on a page is a stronger skill among the adults tested than forming their own sentences aloud.

The results bring together several challenges: classroom instruction focused on grammar and translation, uneven opportunities to use English at work, and economic pressures that make overseas study and travel harder to afford. Japan's largest urban centres perform better than many regional cities, yet even the leading cities sit close to the global average.

EF's ranking measures adults who voluntarily take an online test. Its findings therefore describe that group, with younger people and those more connected to digital services more strongly represented. That matters when considering what the results say about Japan's wider population and its schools.

What the index measures and what changed in 2025

EF bases the index on results from the EF Standard English Test, a free online assessment for adults. It sorts countries into five proficiency bands: very high, high, moderate, low and very low. Those bands make a large international table easier to compare.

The index has expanded since its launch, when far fewer countries participated. Japan's early standing was stronger, but it has not kept pace as the table grew and other countries made gains through school reforms, workplace training and international exposure.

• 2011: EF launched the English Proficiency Index with a much smaller group of participating countries.
• 2025: The index covers 123 countries and regions, with Japan recording its lowest position since the ranking began.

The 2025 edition also changes how some skills are assessed. EF says speaking and writing are now evaluated using proprietary artificial intelligence technology developed by Efekta Education Group. This expands testing beyond reading and listening and gives a fuller picture of how adults express ideas in English.

Reading and listening are often called receptive skills because a learner receives and understands information. Speaking and writing are productive skills because the learner must create a message. Someone may recognise the meaning of a sentence while still finding it difficult to compose a similar sentence during a meeting.

EF Education First, the organisation behind the index, describes speaking as a widespread difficulty in its 2025 report:

Speaking remains the weakest English skill in over half of the countries measured.

The assessment is voluntary and online, rather than a national census. It measures adult performance, not school student outcomes. The new scoring approach also makes productive skills more visible, drawing attention to a weakness shared by Japan and many other countries.

Why understanding English is easier than using it

Japan's reading score of 454 and listening score of 437 suggest that many adults tested can recognise vocabulary and follow a range of everyday content. Writing at 394 and speaking at 393 show a much weaker ability to turn that knowledge into their own messages.

The gap can appear in practical situations: hesitation during meetings, limited participation in international projects, or difficulty writing professional emails beyond familiar templates. Reading remains useful for independent study and technical research, areas where Japan has long excelled. Speaking and writing are needed to present ideas, explain problems and persuade others.

Many educators trace the imbalance to how English has been taught and assessed. Classroom time often centres on grammar, translation and preparation for university entrance examinations. Learners can build substantial knowledge of vocabulary and sentence structure without receiving much structured practice in extended conversation or writing.

TOEIC tests popular with Japanese employers put considerable weight on reading and listening. Students who perform well in those areas may still have limited experience using English to solve a problem or defend an argument. Examination success and confident communication therefore require different kinds of practice.

Virtual meetings have increased the value of clear, spontaneous speech and concise writing. A participant may need to explain an unexpected problem immediately or follow up with a short written message. Those demands expose the weaknesses visible in Japan's adult scores.

The imbalance is longstanding, but productive skills carry growing weight in testing and at work. The practical effect reaches beyond formal presentations to everyday exchanges with clients and learning from international colleagues.

Which Japanese regions and cities perform best?

Kanto, the region that includes Tokyo and neighbouring prefectures, leads Japan's regional table with a score of 478. Chugoku, described in the national breakdown as a rural region, ranks lowest at 436. The difference is 42 points.

Job opportunities, international connections and contact with visitors and foreign colleagues help explain the divide. Large metropolitan areas tend to have more multinational employers and more occasions to use English during work and daily life.

Kawasaki leads the city rankings with 489, followed by Yokohama at 483 and Tokyo at 480. Compared with the global average of 488, Kawasaki is one point higher, Yokohama five points lower and Tokyo eight points lower. Even Japan's leading cities are clustered near that international benchmark.

Hiroshima scores 421, and several other regional centres remain well below Japan's national average of 446. The concentration of English use in a handful of urban hubs is common internationally, but the differences within Japan are large enough to shape hiring and wage patterns.

Location also affects access to practice. Someone whose workplace regularly deals with international partners has repeated reasons to read, speak and write English. A person in a community or job with fewer such contacts may have to seek those opportunities deliberately.

What workplace scores reveal about access to practice

Strategy and project management roles have an average score of 578 in EF's breakdown by job function. Teachers score 561 and marketing workers 551. All three groups stand well above Japan's national average.

Students average 477, while the unspecified or unemployed category scores 399. The figures show substantial differences between groups within the same country, alongside the geographic divide between major cities and regional centres.

The workplace results suggest that regular contact with international partners, together with writing and presenting on the job, can build skills faster than classroom study alone. Employees who repeatedly use English have chances to practise, receive responses and try again.

Adults with limited access to English through employment or their communities can fall further behind without deliberate practice and support. Some sectors, including technology and finance, reward English ability through promotion and project assignments. Many other sectors continue to operate comfortably in Japanese and have little international collaboration.

Workers who have no immediate need for English often stop studying. Because the EF index assesses adults, it reflects the opportunities and incentives people encounter after leaving school as well as the education they received earlier.

How Japan compares with Asia and the world

Malaysia leads Asia in the 2025 index, with the Philippines and Hong Kong also performing strongly. South Korea scores in the low five hundreds, while China and Japan are grouped in the mid four hundreds. Indonesia scores 471, above Japan's 446.

Thailand sits near the bottom of the global table, and Cambodia ranks last among the 123 countries measured. Japan's position of 18th among 25 Asian countries and territories places it toward the lower end of a region with widely varying results.

The Netherlands remains first globally, followed by European neighbours including Croatia and Austria. Germany also belongs to the top tier. Europe continues to dominate the highest positions, although its scores are levelling off after years of growth.

South Africa and Zimbabwe appear in the very high proficiency band, reflecting the role of English in education and public life. Across the countries near the top, widespread exposure at school, international media consumption and use at work help shape results over generations.

Asia's gap between its strongest and weakest performers is narrowing, yet much of the region remains in the moderate or low bands. Japan shares another common pattern: stronger reading and listening than writing and speaking.

EF also finds that adults under 25 have not returned to their levels before the pandemic and often score below older age groups. Younger adults worldwide have yet to recover that earlier momentum, a trend also visible in Japan.

How economic pressures limit opportunities to speak

A weak yen and persistent inflation have reduced the number of Japanese people able to afford travel or study abroad. Fewer business trips and semesters overseas mean fewer occasions to practise English in situations where communication has an immediate purpose.

Overseas experience can require a learner to respond without a prepared script, whether in a classroom or a business exchange. When those opportunities become less affordable, practice depends more heavily on what schools, employers and local communities provide.

Inbound tourism has surged, but the resulting contact is uneven. Many residents avoid crowded visitor corridors, while service workers carry much of the communication burden. More visitors therefore bring frequent English interactions to some workers while leaving many other residents with few.

Household finances also affect continued study. Adults balancing work and living costs need learning options that are affordable and convenient. Without access to regular practice, knowledge gained at school can remain largely unused.

Why classroom change is difficult

Many Japanese schools still organise English lessons around grammar explanations and vocabulary lists. University entrance examinations strongly influence what teachers teach and what students spend time practising.

Teachers also manage large class loads, making individual feedback on speaking and writing difficult. A written grammar exercise can be checked for a whole class, while each student's conversation or extended writing requires attention to the particular message they are trying to convey.

Assistant language teachers provide support, but the amount of authentic conversation in lessons often remains limited. Students may understand the rules of English while having few opportunities to use them in an exchange that develops beyond a prepared answer.

Employment incentives reinforce the focus on receptive skills. When widely valued tests concentrate on reading and listening, students and teachers direct preparation toward those sections. Changing classroom practice therefore also depends on what admissions systems and employers choose to measure.

Five changes that could expand practical English use

Stronger speaking and writing requirements in admissions and hiring would give learners a clearer reason to practise those skills. Schools respond to examinations, and employers respond to what they measure. If productive skills count more, lessons have a stronger incentive to include conversations, presentations and writing workshops.

EF's use of AI scoring for speaking and writing in 2025 shows how assessment on a large scale can be conducted at low cost. Such testing can make it easier to include skills that have traditionally required substantial time to evaluate individually.

Teacher support is a second priority. Smaller groups for conversation, regular feedback and practical lesson plans can increase the time students spend using English. AI tools can act as conversation partners or writing coaches, giving immediate suggestions while teachers concentrate on guidance that requires more judgement.

Safeguards and clear rules would need to support that technology so students learn from the process rather than hand over the difficult work. The purpose is to give learners more practice and useful feedback.

Workplaces offer a third route. Meetings with global teams, presentation opportunities for junior staff and short assignments supporting overseas clients can build confidence faster than textbook drills. Making English part of roles across more departments would spread practice beyond a small number of international teams.

Mobility and exchange programmes could also reach beyond elite schools. Scholarships for short online exchanges, virtual internships and community events involving visitors can create practice opportunities for students outside major cities.

Affordable adult learning completes the picture. Evening classes, courses available on demand and conversation hours in public libraries can help people continue studying when household budgets are tight. Together, these approaches would connect learning more closely with the speaking and writing that Japan's results show are weakest.

What to Know

• Japan ranks 96th out of 123 countries and regions in EF's 2025 index, its lowest position since the ranking began in 2011.
• Its score of 446 is eight points below last year and 42 points below the global average of 488.
• The country is in the low proficiency band after an eleventh consecutive year of decline.
• Reading scores 454 and listening 437, ahead of writing at 394 and speaking at 393.
• The index uses voluntary adult test results, and its 2025 edition introduces AI evaluation of speaking and writing.
• Kanto leads Japan's regions; Kawasaki, Yokohama and Tokyo lead its cities.
• Malaysia leads Asia, while the Netherlands remains first globally.
• Exam priorities, uneven workplace use and economic pressures limit opportunities for practical communication.
• Changes to assessment, teacher support, workplace practice, exchanges and adult learning could help close the gap.