How Many People Speak English in Japan?

Japan is one of the most popular tourist destinations for people from all over the world. This brings rise to questions like ‘How many people speak English in Japan?’ 

Well, according to the survey, there are only 13 to 30% of Japanese people who speak English. 

Though Japan is a vast and strong country, it is still behind in English literacy as compared to other countries.

Are you wondering Why Japan has such a small number of people who speak English? Or why do people in Japan not prefer English?

This article has the answer. In this article, we have enlisted some facts and figures on How many people speak English in Japan. 

Let’s find out the answer!

(Source: Statista, Wikipedia, Polyglot)

How many people speak English in Japan: General Stats

1. 15 to 37.5 million people in Japan speak some level of English.
2. English speakers in Japan comprise around 20-30% of the total population.
3. The Japanese had their first exposure to English during the year 1600.
4. According to a study from the University of British Columbia, proficiency in English does not help one advance in a job in Japan. (Ryuko Kubota, 2011; research)
5. According to the study conducted by Statista in 2021, the participation rate of learning English in Japan among 10 to 14 years was 42.5%. 
6. Most high schools teach English as a compulsory second language in Japan.
7. It is also noted that 38.8% of the respondents in the survey aged between 15 and 19 years claimed to learn English.
8. On the other hand, a study by the polyglotgeek states that approximately 20-30% of the population speaks some form of English, of which only 10% are able to carry on a conversation in English.
9. In April 2021, English instruction became compulsory in the 5th grade of elementary school. (age 10) 
10. The Test for English for International Communication (TOEIC) recently classified Japan 40th out of 48 nations for English competence, placing it among the Weaker nations in terms of the quantity and quality of English speakers there.
11. There are varying estimates, but a 2013 survey discovered that just 20–30% of Japanese adults claimed to be able to interact in some capacity in English.

How Many People are Learning English in Japan

12. A total of 12.8% of people are currently learning English, according to data from 2021.
13. As compared to 2011, the share of people learning English in Japan was 9.6%. There is a rise of 3.5% share of people from 2011 to 2021.

Let’s find out the detailed numbers of the share of people learning English in Japan, year-wise.

14. According to the study conducted in 2021, the participation rate in learning English among 10 to 14-year-olds was 42.5%. 
15. It is noted that people who are aged more than 70 are less likely to speak English in Japan.
16. Moreover, people who are between 30 and 39 years old who speak English in Japan contribute 13%.
17. There are around 8.2% of people in Japan who speak English between the ages of 60-64.

Following is a detailed share of people learning English in Japan in 2021 by age group.

(Source: Statista)

Participation rate of men learning English in Japan 2021, by age group

18. According to the survey conducted in 2021, 41.4% of males aged between 10 to 14 years in Japan claimed to learn English.
19. In 2021, more than 38% of men between 15 to 19 years of age reported studying English.

Following are the detailed data on the participation rate of men learning English in Japan by age group 2021.  

(Source: Statista)

Participation Rate of Women Learning English in Japan 2021, by age group

20. When talking about the participation rate of women, there were 43.7% aged between 10-14 years old in 2021.
21. Women who are aged between 20-24 years contributed 24.8% who are learning English in Japan in 2021.
22. Women aged more than 70 years have the lowest percentage of participation in learning English in Japan in 2021, with 2.8%.

Check out the following data that covers detailed statistics on the participation rate of women learning English in Japan by age group.

(Source: Statista)

Ratio of Public Senior High School Students with A1 

23. Around 47% of junior high school students in public schools in Japan in the academic year 2021 either completed the A1 level English test based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) or had their teachers certify that they had reached the comparable level.
24. Compared to the academic year 2011, the ratio rose by more than 20%. The learners’ linguistic proficiency is evaluated using the CEFR. It has six levels, ranging from A1 for complete novices to C2 for language experts.
25. In 2021, there were 47% of public senior high school pupils with an A1 proficiency, according to Statista data.

Following is a detailed stats providing the ratio of students by year.

Ratio of Public Junior High Schools with A2 English level in Japan

26. Around 46% of senior high school students in public schools in Japan in the academic year 2021 either completed the A2 level test for English based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) or had their teachers certify that they had reached the comparable level.
27. Study suggests the ratio of students in 2021 who were in public junior high schools with A2 English level in Japan.
28. In 2011, the ratio of public junior high schools with A2 English level in Japan was the lowest, with 30.4.

Let’s have a look at the in-depth statistics on the ratio of public junior high schools with A2 English level in Japan.

Reasons why less people speak English in Japan

There are many major issues that are affecting the widespread use of the English language in Japan. Moreover, there are many reasons why many people do not speak in English in Japan. Some of them include

1. According to people in Japan, the Japanese language is much different from the English language in many ways.
2. Culture in Japan does not allow for mistakes, which creates awkward social interactions.
3. According to the average Japanese person, one does not need to learn English to be successful.
4. Even though students in Japan study English in their academics, pronunciation is a primary concern they face while speaking in English.
5. One of the key problems in this situation is that many English teachers in various Japanese schools may not speak the language well, which unintentionally causes them to convey false information to their students.
6. Switching from Japanese ideogramatic reading or writing to other phonetic forms might be difficult for many people in Japan. Because of this, speaking English is difficult.
7. Lack of need is another reason why the typical Japanese person might not know how to speak English. Most individuals in Japan don’t frequently interact with foreigners.

Related Read:

• People Speak French
• People In Germany Speak English

Conclusion: How Many People Speak English In Japan

We all know that Japan is a fascinating country in terms of history, economics, and culture. 

But the truth is very few people speak English in Japan. 

However, this number is increasing each year with new English learners in Japan.  Moreover, there are many cities like Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Kyoto, which are popular among tourists and have many shops and restaurants as well as hotels where English is spoken on a daily basis.

But we can not leave the truth that the Japanese are more comfortable with their own language than English. So it is relatively complicated to define the actual number of people who speak English in Japan.

I hope this article helped you to understand the ratio of people speaking English in Japan. Let us know your thoughts on this in the comment section below.

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