Paris, 10 December 2024
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Literacy and numeracy skills among adults have largely declined or stagnated over the past decade in most OECD countries, according to the second OECD Survey of Adult Skills. Declines have been even larger and more widespread among low-educated adults.
The Survey measured the skills of around 160 000 16-65 year-olds across 31 countries*. Twenty-seven of these countries took part in the first Survey in 2013. It also looked at how literacy, numeracy and problem solving is used at work. It aims to provide evidence of how developing and using skills improves employment prospects and quality of life as well as boosting economic growth.
But despite major efforts by governments and social partners to strengthen education and adult training systems over the past decade, only Finland and Denmark have seen significant improvements in adult literacy skills.
On numeracy proficiency, eight countries saw their average scores improve, with Finland and Singapore recording the largest gains. But in most countries, the literacy proficiency of the lowest-performing 10% of the population has declined, with similar declines in numeracy. At the same time, the performance of the top 10% has improved, leading to widening skills inequalities within countries. In 2023, Singapore and the United States displayed the largest skills inequalities in literacy and numeracy.
“Adults with higher numeracy skills are more likely to be employed, earn a higher wage, and report better health and life satisfaction than those with lower numeracy skills,” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said. “This Survey underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive re-evaluation of how countries support the development of foundation skills. As technology reshapes many jobs, these skills are more important than ever to face the future of work. By investing in skills, governments will support a more resilient and inclusive workforce that helps sustain prosperity for all.”
Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are the best-performing countries in all three domains. Eleven countries (Chile, Croatia, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Korea, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Spain) consistently perform below the OECD average in all skills domains.
Behind the declines in average skill levels, inequalities within countries are widening. In many countries, the lowest-performing adults saw the biggest decline in literacy skills, and on average across participating countries one in five adults are only able to understand simple texts or solve basic arithmetic. Furthermore, in most countries adult skills continue to depend closely on social background.
As literacy proficiency has declined more strongly among men than women, gender gaps have narrowed in many countries. On the other hand, men continue to outperform women in numeracy and adaptive problem solving. Meanwhile, foreign-born adults have lower skills than native-born adults in nearly all countries. In some places, the increase in the share of foreign-born adults over the past decade explains part of the declining average literacy proficiency scores.
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Download the report here.
Note: *160 000 adults aged 16 to 65 were surveyed in 31 countries and economies: Austria, Belgium (Flemish Region), Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, England (UK), Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden and the United States.
Source – OECD
EU Commission co-funded OECD survey finds adult skills have declined or stagnated in the last decade
Brussels, 10 December 2024
Over the last 10 years, the literacy and numeracy skills of adults in Europe have mostly declined or stagnated, according to the second international Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) published today by the OECD and co-funded by the European Commission. Following a first edition in 2013, the comprehensive survey presented today assessed the literacy, numeracy and problem-solving ICT skills of adults aged 16-65 in 20 Member States as well as third countries such as Japan and the US. The findings demonstrate the importance of developing and using skills to improve employment prospects, quality of life and boost economic growth.
Despite efforts to strengthen education and adult training over the last decade, adult literacy declined in seven Member States, only significantly improving in Finland and Denmark, while only Finland, Estonia, Denmark and the Netherlands made progress in numeracy skills. The survey also shows that skills inequalities between lowest- and best-performing adults have widened within countries, especially in literacy.
Skills remain a priority for the European Commission. To address the labour and skills shortages, the new Commission is committed to developing an overarching strategy under the Union of Skills. The Commission continues to support the Council Recommendation on Upskilling Pathways and the Council Recommendation on Individual learning accounts, including through numerous projects funded by EU funds.
Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, Roxana Mînzatu, said: “Today’s survey results highlight the urgent need for a transformative shift in Europe’s approach to skills. We need to step up our ambition to ensure adults are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in changing societies and economies. By prioritising upskilling and reskilling, we can enable and empower adults in Europe to be better equipped to seize new opportunities. Our Union of Skills will do just that — help strengthen skills at all levels, address shortages, and lay the foundation for greater social cohesion and improve Europe’s competitiveness.”
The launch of the survey (11:00-12:30 CET) can be followed online. More details can be found in the OECD press release as well as in the full report.