Jordan is at the "very low proficiency" level on the English Proficiency Index 2025.
The Jordanian Strategies Forum releases a report from the "Knowledge is Power" series titled "Jordan on the English Proficiency Index 2025".
Jordan ranks 105th globally out of 123 countries, and 11th out of 17 Arab countries on the English Proficiency Index 2025.
Continued decline in Jordan's performance on the English Proficiency Index for the year 2025 without significant improvement since 2020.
Male performance in Jordan is higher compared to female performance on the English Proficiency Index 2025.
The Jordanian Strategies Forum recommends the integration of the use of English in the practical context of the educational process.
Khaberni - The Jordanian Strategies Forum has issued a report within the "Knowledge is Power" series titled "Jordan on the English Proficiency Index 2025", which highlighted Jordan's performance on the "English Proficiency Index for the year 2025" issued by "Education First - EF Education First". The index covered 123 countries and compared its performance with countries around the world and Arab countries.
The forum in its report referred to the importance of the English proficiency index, considering it an important reference for conducting global comparisons to determine the proficiency level of adults in English (non-native speakers). The index assists governments and educational systems in identifying strengths and weaknesses in English language education. It also helps employers and learners determine their readiness to engage in the international job market and access global knowledge.
The index evaluation included more than 2.2 million people who took the test. According to its results, the index categorized the participating countries into five levels: "very high proficiency (over 600 points)", "high (550-599)", "medium (500-549)", "low (450-499)", and "very low (less than 450)".
The forum reviewed the key results of the "English Proficiency Index 2025", with countries like the Netherlands, Croatia, and Austria achieving the highest score within the index, placing them at the forefront of the global ranking in the "very high proficiency" category.
It noted that 17 Arab countries were within the "low" or "very low" proficiency levels. Tunisia topped the Arab countries in the "low proficiency" level, ranking 66th globally and first among Arab countries with a score of 498 points. Palestine ranked 87th globally and seventh among 17 Arab countries participating in the index, with a score of 463 points. "State of Kuwait" ranked 93rd globally and the tenth among Arab countries with a score of 455 points.
At the national level, the report indicated a decline in Jordan's performance over time, as it continued to drop without significant improvement since 2020, placing it at the "very low proficiency" level, ranking 105th globally out of 123 countries covered by the index (within the lowest 15% of countries participating in the test), with a score of 425 points. It ranked eleventh among the Arab countries (17 countries).
The forum added that results over the years have shown that male performance in Jordan is better than female, highlighting a persistent performance gap between genders. At the age level, the age groups (21-25) years and (26-30) years achieved advanced performance compared to other age groups. The city of Amman recorded the highest average scores, outperforming Irbid, Madaba, and Zarqa.
The forum emphasized the importance of evolving methodologies for teaching English by transitioning from the traditional approach based on grammar rules and exams to interactive, task-based learning, directly impacting speaking and writing skills and building language confidence among students.
It recommended the necessity of integrating the use of English in the practical context of the educational process through the use of language in projects, discussions, and presentations at the school and university levels.
The forum stressed that improving the quality of educational outputs requires accelerating the integration of digital learning tools, language teaching platforms, and practices and applications supported by artificial intelligence, enhancing students' access to authentic linguistic content, and expanding their opportunities to develop their skills.
It pointed out that with Jordan's low performance in the writing skill which is below 50%, there is a need to direct schools to allocate organized times for academic and professional writing. It advocated for writing courses characterized by feedback, guided practices, and enhanced learning models.
The forum concluded its report by emphasizing that improving Jordan's performance on the English proficiency index would affect its ability to build a competitive economy, empower youth, improve educational outcomes, and enhance its effective presence on a global level.
