Bangladesh improves in English proficiency, but still behind India, Pakistan

Bangladesh has improved in English language proficiency but still lags behind neighbouring India, Nepal and Pakistan, according to the English Proficiency Index 2021 prepared by Sweden-based international education company Education First widely cited by BBC, CNN and Forbes.

Bangladesh's English proficiency score rose by 14 points to 490 in the 2021 index; however, the score fell short of the 24 Asian countries' average score of 504 and the global average score of 503.

With this score, Bangladesh has been listed in the "Low Proficiency" band this year, while it was also listed in the same band last year moved up from the "Very Low Proficiency" band in the ninth edition.

The annual eleventh edition of the index released on Tuesday, which ranks 112 countries and regions – based on test results of two million adults – on an 800-point scale by the English skills of non-native English speakers worldwide.

The index places the surveyed countries and territories into five proficiency bands, from very high to very low.

Globally, Bangladesh has ranked 65th among 112 countries and regions in the 2021 index, while it was in 63rd position among 99 countries and regions last year.

Bangladesh has secured the 11th place in Asia in the 2021 index, up by one notch from last year.

The index ranked six South Asian countries where India still has the highest level of English proficiency in the region.

With a score of 515, only India is listed in the "Moderate Proficiency" band and ranked 48th globally. 

With a proficiency score of 492, Nepal remained at the second position in South Asia and ranked 62nd globally, followed by Pakistan (63rd) Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (82nd). All these are listed in the "Low Proficiency" band.

Only Afghanistan (87th) is listed under the "very low proficiency" band in South Asia.

The Netherlands topped the index globally with a very high English proficiency score of 663, followed by Austria, Denmark, Singapore and Norway. 

With a very low proficiency score of 360, Yemen placed at the bottom of the index followed by South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Libya. 

The score is based on test data of a survey of over two million adults globally who participated in the EF Standard English Test (EF SET) or English placement tests in 2020.

Among the participants, 53% were female and the median age of adult respondents was 26.

The test is online based, where English listening and reading skills were tested to classify language ability of the test takers in six levels under the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

In order to be included in the index, any country, city or region needs to have at least 400 test takers. 

The report stated, English skills can be a driver for inclusion for adults, enabling participation in professional development and leveling the playing field for those who come from different circumstances and backgrounds. It allows for international talent management and progression at an advanced level.