Thailand’s English proficiency ranks second lowest in Asia
Thailand has recorded one of the lowest levels of English proficiency in Asia, according to the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index, which shows a continued global stagnation in English skills since 2020.
The index is based on test results from 2.2 million participants across 123 countries, with an average test-taker age of 26. While English remains the most commonly shared language for international communication, the report highlights a worldwide plateau in progress, particularly in speaking and writing skills.
Thailand ranked 116th out of 123 countries, placing it in the “Very Low Proficiency” category and second to last in Asia. The country scored 402 overall, a 13-point drop from last year. Among the four assessed skills, reading, listening, speaking, and writing, reading was the strongest with a score of 416, while writing ranked lowest at 363. Listening scored 385, and speaking, which also held the lowest global average overall, came in at 377 for Thailand.
Reading was identified as the easiest skill for school systems to teach, and is typically well-developed through classroom instruction. In contrast, speaking was the weakest skill across most countries, due to its dependence on real-time practice and confidence, rather than pure studies.
The report also revealed that Thai adults aged 26 to 30 had the highest proficiency level, averaging a score of 481. However, younger age groups, particularly those aged 18 to 20, have seen a noticeable drop in English ability since 2018.
Among Thai cities, Pattaya recorded the highest score at 474, followed by Bangkok with 467, reported Prachatai.
European countries continue to dominate the top of the global rankings, with the Netherlands, Croatia, and Austria taking the first three spots. Malaysia was the best-performing country in Asia, ranking 24th overall.
The report further noted that countries with higher overall proficiency also tend to show wider skill gaps between their strongest and weakest English abilities, showing uneven development through formal education systems.
Thailand’s low English proficiency ranking adds to continued concerns about the education system, which earlier this year was ranked 107th out of 203 countries in a global survey.
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