Decline in English language skills among youth, yet Netherlands maintain leading position
The latest study by EF Education First, a global education provider, has revealed a significant decline in English proficiency among young people, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. This decline, according to the report, is largely due to the disruption of formal educational settings that are critical for language development in youth.
The 2023 English Proficiency Index was calculated from the results of tests taken by 2.2 million English speakers in 113 countries and regions. The study found that overall English proficiency levels worldwide have not changed, but the gap between young people and working adults has widened.
Young people's access to consistent and effective English language learning was severely impacted by school closures, remote learning challenges, and lost instructional time. This interruption led to setbacks in literacy and language skills development that were harder to recover from than for adults who could engage in English use more independently in work or daily life contexts.
Research shows that while some adult learners maintained or improved English skills during the pandemic, students—especially in late middle and high school—experienced significant declines or stagnation in English language arts proficiency due to missed opportunities for literacy support and intervention during school closures.
The educational disruption was compounded by lack of access to targeted English language learning resources and in-person instruction that are crucial for younger learners' language acquisition. Systemic findings highlight that younger learners suffered more learning loss in language skills globally because learning requires structured environments that were severely disrupted during Covid-19.
The study also suggests that the impact is uneven: students from lower achievement groups or disadvantaged backgrounds were disproportionately affected, and recovery for many groups has been slow relative to pre-pandemic levels.
Interestingly, the gap between men and women aged 18 to 25 is larger than among working adults, according to the study. The gender gap in English proficiency is widening worldwide, with men's English improving while women's has declined over the past decade.
In most countries, young people's skills have remained stable or declined only during the pandemic interruption of educational systems. Notable exceptions include Argentina, South Africa, and Israel, which emerged as the best English speakers in their respective regions of South America, Africa, and the Middle East.
The Netherlands, Singapore, and Austria retained the top three spots in the world's largest international survey of English language comprehension skills. However, China has fallen 20 places to 82nd in the English Proficiency Index rankings, continuing a four-year decline. Japan, too, has continued to decline in English proficiency.
The study notes that what appears to be a global trend is actually only true in a few large countries. The findings imply the need for renewed focus and intervention efforts to help young people regain and improve English proficiency lost during the pandemic.
Education-and-self-development through learning English was significantly impacted by the disruption of formal learning settings during the Covid-19 pandemic. Young people experienced setbacks in literacy and language skills development due to missed opportunities for support and intervention during school closures.
