Study: KL Ranks Among Top 10 Capitals in the World for High English Proficiency, Perak Tops the Nation

Malaysia’s diversity shines through its rich cultural and linguistic mix, with English widely spoken and understood across the country.

That said, a recent study by Education First ranked Malaysia on its EF English Proficiency Index (EPI) 2024 for top English proficiency.

Kuala Lumpur ranked 9th in the world!

Kuala Lumpur is now ranked as one of the world’s top 10 city capitals for high English proficiency, putting it at the 9th spot with a score of 584.

Meanwhile, Shah Alam and Perak are listed as having “high proficiency” in the city and region categories, respectively, with an EF EPI score of 598 and 585.

The study surveyed the English skills of non-native English speakers across 116 countries and regions, categorising proficiency levels from very high to very low.

Malaysia fell one spot compared to last year

Malaysia was ranked 25th globally last year, but this year, the country has dropped one spot, holding the 26th position.

For the 2024 edition, Malaysia remains in the top 3 in Asia, with Singapore taking first place, followed by the Philippines.

Singapore once again claimed the top spot as the first in Asia with the highest English proficiency but took 3rd position, globally. In 2023, Singapore had come in 2nd in overall rankings

The test results are based on 2.1 million non-native English speakers

The EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) is a ranking of countries and regions by their English skills. The survey by EF Education First, a Swedish education company, analysed the test results of 2.1 million adult non-native English speakers aged 18 and above across 116 countries and regions.

Education First revealed that even though the EF EPI test takers are mostly people interested in learning languages and younger adults, the sample is balanced between males and females and includes adult language learners from all age groups.

Do you agree with the ranking placements? Let us know down in the comments!

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