Nepal Ranks No. 1 in South Asia for English Proficiency, 58th Globally in EF EPI 2025

Kathmandu, October 16, 2026: Nepal has emerged as the highest-ranked South Asian country for English proficiency in the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) 2025, ranking 58th globally with a score of 514.

The official EF data places Nepal in the Moderate proficiency category and above the global average score of 488. Nepal's score also increased by two points from the previous edition.

Nepal Ahead of South Asian Neighbors

Nepal performed better than every other ranked South Asian country in the 2025 index.

Among the region's countries, the rankings and scores were:

This makes Nepal the only one among these countries to reach the Moderate proficiency category; Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India and Bhutan were classified as Low.

Nepal Strongest in Writing

The index also breaks Nepal's performance down across four English-language skills.

Nepal scored 547 in writing, 529 in reading, 518 in speaking, and 495 in listening. Writing was therefore Nepal's strongest measured skill, while listening recorded the lowest score.

Lalitpur Scores Higher Than Kathmandu

The official country profile also shows differences within Nepal.

Lalitpur recorded a score of 545, while Kathmandu scored 531, making Lalitpur the highest-scoring listed Nepali city in the index. The 21–25 age group recorded the country's highest age-group score at 541.

What Does the Ranking Actually Measure?

The EF EPI 2025 was based on English test results from 2.2 million adults across 123 countries and regions, making it a large international comparison of adult English skills.

However, the ranking should not be interpreted as an English test of Nepal's entire population. Because the index uses data from people who take EF's tests, it provides a comparison based on participating test-takers rather than a nationally representative examination of every citizen.

That distinction is important when interpreting Nepal's regional lead.

Nepal Ranks Above the Global Average

Nepal's score of 514 was 26 points higher than the global average of 488 in the 2025 edition.

While Nepal remains far from the world's highest-ranked countries, its position stands out within South Asia.

The Netherlands topped the overall ranking with 624 points, while Nepal occupied the 58th position.