Search for specific education indicators by country, theme or level of education and compare the results using interactive charts and tables.

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Survey of Adult Skills 2023 (PIAAC)
PISA 2022 Results (Volume I): The State of Learning and Equity in Education
PISA 2022 Results (Volume II): Learning During - and From - Disruption
PISA 2022 Results (Volume III): Creative Minds, Creative Schools
PISA 2022 Results (Volume V): Learning Strategies and Attitudes for Life
PISA 2018 Results (Volume IV): Are Students Smart About Money?
PISA 2018 Results (Volume VI): Are Students Ready to Thrive in an Interconnected World?
PISA 2018: Are Students Ready To Take On Environmental Challenges?
Education at a Glance 2024 (EAG 2024): Highlights
EAG 2024, Chapter A: The output of educational institutions and the impact of learning
EAG 2024, Chapter B: Access to education, participation and progression
EAG 2024, Chapter C: Financial resources invested in education
EAG 2024, Chapter D: Teachers, learning environment and organisation of schools
TALIS 2018: Highlight indicators
TALIS 2018 (Volume I): Teachers and School Leaders as Lifelong Learners
TALIS 2018 (Volume II): Teachers and School Leaders as Valued Professionals
TALIS 2018 (results for primary and upper secondary)
TALIS 2018: Starting Strong Survey
Student outcomes
Collaborative Problem Solving
Adult competencies
Access & participation
Student mobility
Education attainment
Education system & governance
Financing education
Learning environment
Students' well-being
Equity
Gender
Digital divide
Special needs
Socio-economic status
Migrant background
Economic & social outcomes
Teachers & educators
Education leadership
Evaluation & quality assurance
Future of education and skills
Research & innovation
Early childhood education & care
Vocational education & training (VET)
Tertiary education
Impact of COVID-19 in education
Survey of Adult Skills 2023 (PIAAC)
The 2023 Survey of Adult Skills offers valuable data on adults' proficiency in literacy, numeracy, and adaptive problem solving, key skills essential for individuals and societies to thrive. These skills underpin further learning, innovation, and economic opportunities, helping adults navigate complexity in both personal and civic life. Skilled adults can better engage with the modern information landscape, contributing to informed decision-making and policy. Thirty-one countries and economies, mostly OECD members, participated in the 2023 survey, with 27 countries providing insights into how literacy and numeracy proficiency have evolved over the past decade.

  • The average scores for adults aged 16-65 were 260 in literacy, 263 in numeracy, and 251 in adaptive problem solving, on scales ranging from 0 to 500 points, across OECD countries in the 2023 Survey of Adult Skills. Adults in Finland achieved the highest scores in literacy (296 points) and numeracy (294 points), as well as in adaptive problem solving (276 points, tied with adults in Japan).
  • Large portions of the adult population scored at the two lowest levels of proficiency: 26% in literacy, 25% in numeracy, and 29% in adaptive problem solving, on average across OECD countries. In Chile, 44% of adults scored at these levels in all domains, compared to only 7% in Japan.
  • Older adults (55-65 year-olds) displayed lower proficiency than younger adults in all assessed domains. The best results were achieved by 25-34 year-olds, followed by 16-24 year-olds.
  • Higher levels of educational attainment are associated with greater proficiency in literacy, numeracy and adaptive problem solving: Adults with tertiary education scored 33 points higher in literacy than those with upper secondary education, who in turn scored 43 points higher than those without upper secondary education.
  • Gender gaps in proficiency are generally small, especially in literacy and adaptive problem solving: Women displayed higher average proficiency in literacy (3 points higher), while men scored higher in numeracy and adaptive problem solving (10 and 2 points higher, respectively).
  • Native-born adults of native-born parents displayed much higher proficiency in all domains than foreign-born adults of foreign-born parents (differences of 44 points in literacy, 38 points in numeracy, and 32 points in adaptive problem solving). Much of these gaps are explained by socio-demographic differences between the groups.
  • Adults who grew up in advantaged socio-economic conditions displayed greater proficiency: Having at least one tertiary-educated parent is associated with an advantage of 50 points in literacy, 49 points in numeracy, and 42 points in adaptive problem solving, compared to adults whose parents did not attain upper secondary education.
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    Canadian provinces
    Chile
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    OECD average

    Non-OECD Countries

    G20 average
    TALIS average
    TALIS avg. primary education
    TALIS avg. upper secondary education
    Albania
    Algeria
    Argentina
    Buenos Aires (Argentina)
    Baku (Azerbaijan)
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Brazil
    Brunei Darussalam
    Bulgaria
    Cambodia
    China
    B-S-J-Z (China)
    Hong Kong (China)
    Macao (China)
    Shanghai (China)
    Chinese Taipei
    Croatia
    Dominican Republic
    Ecuador
    El Salvador
    Georgia
    Guatemala
    India
    Indonesia
    Jamaica
    Jordan
    Kazakhstan
    Kosovo
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    Trinidad and Tobago
    Tunisia
    United Arab Emirates
    Abu Dhabi (UAE)
    Ukraine
    Uruguay
    Uzbekistan
    Viet Nam
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    Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities, such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website for each publication.
    The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: http://www.oecd.org/about/membersandpartners/

    Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2018 for school year 2017/2018.

    *TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS average. Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and Annex 3 of EAG 2021 for more details about the data collections.

    B-S-J-Z (China) refers to the four PISA-participating provinces/municipalities of the People's Republic of China: Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

    For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory text.