According to a study, China is overtaking India in its attempts to increase English usage.

A ‘huge shortage’ of teachers and quality institutions means China may now have more people who speak English than India, according to the study by the British Council.

The research estimates less than five per cent of the Indian population speaks English, which would mean that only about 55 million people in India will be fluent English speakers by 2010.

In comparison China adds 20 million English speakers each year as a result of new education policies that require English to be a compulsory subject in primary schools. According to previous British Council study, China had 200 million English users in 1995.

India's growth as a key software and IT hub has been partly possible due to its English-educated employees, but the study says English is a ‘casualty of wider problems in Indian education’.

"The rate of improvement in the English language skills of the Indian population is at present too slow to prevent India from falling behind other countries which have implemented the teaching of English in primary schools sooner, and more successfully," says the study, English Next India, written by British author David Gradoll.

"China may already have more people who speak English than India," it said, adding India will require many more English speaking people to maintain its economic growth.

Poor English is one of the causes of Indian universities falling far short of rival countries in the quality of teaching and research.

The research says a variety of approaches is needed to improve proficiency of English in India, and no single method will help.