OECD reports nearly one in three adults lack foundational literacy or numeracy skills with shares rising in 11 countries

The OECD has published a report based on the 2023 Survey of Adult Skills showing that nearly one in three adults across OECD economies has low foundational skills in literacy or numeracy. The report says the problem has worsened over the past decade in 11 of the 27 countries that took part in both survey cycles, while only Denmark and Finland recorded a reduction. Low foundational skills are linked to weaker labour market participation, lower wages, worse self-reported health and life satisfaction, and lower trust and volunteering. Adults with low skills are also about half as likely as the rest of the population to participate in adult learning. The report stresses that adults with low foundational skills are not a single group. About two-thirds perform poorly in both literacy and numeracy, but a sizeable minority have deficits concentrated in one domain, with literacy gaps more prominent in some countries and numeracy gaps in others. It identifies four broad country profiles based on the prevalence, depth and nature of low skills, ranging from countries where many adults sit just below medium proficiency to countries where deficits are deeper or more concentrated in literacy or numeracy. The OECD says adult learning systems often fail to reach those most in need and that effective responses require active outreach through employers, trade unions, community organisations, healthcare providers and social services, with training that is contextualised, sufficiently intensive and compatible with work and family demands. It also points to high-quality early childhood education and care and stronger compulsory education as key to preventing the intergenerational transmission of low skills.