Australian University Ranks Malaysia Among Countries Using The Most Vulgar Language Online
Apparently, we are in the top ten!
By Syazwan Bahri — 03 Jun 2025, 04:13 PM
Malaysia has been ranked sixth globally for the use of offensive language in online comments, according to researchers in Australia
This finding comes from a study called 'Vulgarity in online discourse around the English-speaking world' conducted by lead researchers Dr Martin Schweinberger and Professor Kate Burridge, from the University of Queensland and Monash University, respectively.
The research analysed a vast database of more than 1.7 billion words from Internet content across 20 English-speaking countries to explore how people use vulgar language online.
It found that citizens of the United States were the most frequent users of foul language online, followed by Britain, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Malaysia, Ireland, Jamaica, and Canada
The study's findings revealed that 0.036% of all words written by US citizens online contained vulgar or offensive elements. This is followed by Britain at 0.025%, Australia at 0.022%, Singapore at 0.021%, New Zealand at 0.02%, and Malaysia at 0.019%.
The countries with the lowest reported usage of offensive language were Bangladesh at 0.007%, followed by Ghana and Tanzania, both at 0.008%, and Hong Kong at 0.009%.
The research, which was published in the journal Lingua, further indicated that each country exhibited a unique tendency towards specific types of profanity
The results showed that different regions exhibit different preferences for specific vulgar slangs, such as 'feck' being preferred in Ireland, 'cunt' in Britain, and 'asshole' in the US.
"Some Aussies might well be disappointed to learn we're not topping the charts when it comes to swearing," Professor Burridge said, according to a statement by Monash University.
"But our study suggests we might still live up to our popular image of having an unusually rich and inventive 'bad' language, especially thanks to our very public and colourful airing of swear words," she added.
"If we had blog data for Australia, it might have pushed us to second place," Dr Schweinberger also said.
"But when we look at low-frequency words which typically are more creative — like 'cockknuckle' — Australians are actually in second place," he added.
