Countries by Adult Literacy

What Adult Literacy Skills Measures

Adult Literacy Skills is a comparative indicator tracked across countries by the OECD. It provides a quantitative basis for cross-national comparison, enabling researchers and policymakers to benchmark national performance on this dimension against global peers.

Why This Ranking Matters

Examining Adult Literacy Skills across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.

Global Range

Values range from 217.903 (Chile) to 302.72 (Finland) — minimal difference across 30 countries.

Regional Patterns

European countries dominate this ranking, holding 15 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.

Values are broadly distributed across countries, with the middle 50% ranging from 248.941 to 278.461. The overall spread from 217.903 to 302.72 reflects significant global variation.

Notable Outliers

The top of the ranking is competitive: Finland and Japan are separated by only 4%, indicating that the leading positions could shift with updated data.

Continental Leaders

Europe

Finland

302.72

Asia

Japan

290.72

Oceania

Australia

280.401

North America

Canada

272.966

South America

Chile

217.903