China has fallen nearly 50 spots in a ranking of English proficiency in countries around the world in the past few years.
Posted by The Headlines, Checked
- Sources
- 2 support3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 30%
The HeadlinesSep 16, 2026
The sources confirm China's current EF English Proficiency Index rank (#86 in the 2025 rankings and the 2026 listing), but none gives China's earlier rank, so the claimed drop of nearly 50 spots cannot be checked.
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What was said
… That post went viral, adding fuel to a growing debate in the country about whether learning English is appropriate and worth the effort. In the past few years, some Chinese schools have been dialing back their English requirements, and according to one ranking of English proficiency in countries around the world, China has fallen nearly 50 spots. Of course, this whole debate is also crashing right into the question of AI. This summer, one research university in Shenzhen announced that it's phasing out English classes because it said AI can now generate translations in real time. …
The Headlines · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. EF EPI sources place China at #86 in the most recent rankings (2025 table and a September 2026 country page), giving a current position but no earlier figure to measure a fall against.[2][3]
Context. The 2026 NYT podcast transcript repeats the claim that China 'has fallen nearly 50 spots' in one English proficiency ranking without naming the earlier rank or the year, so it is not independent corroboration.[4]
Context. Reuters (2023) reports universities loosening English proficiency requirements but does not mention any ranking or rank change.[1]
Context. The 2011 EF-based fact-check concerns English speaker counts, not rankings, and does not bear on the claimed change in position.[5]
Sources
5 sources: 1 fact-checker, 3 not rated, 1 tier 2
- 1Private schools rethink China future after flunking growth testreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2China | EF English Proficiency Indexef.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 3EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Global Rankings and Analysismanuals.plus · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4Fuel Riots Spread Around the World, and Trump Approves ...nytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: context
- 5Jon Huntsman says more English speakers in China than United Statesapi.politifact.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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