Today, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the latest Survey of Adult Skills, which is part of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The survey conducted on adults aged 16-65 shows that:

• 1 in 5 adults in Ireland are at or below Level 1 in literacy. This means that around 700,000* people struggle with reading and understanding everyday text, like bus timetables or medicine instructions;
• 1 in 4 adults in Ireland are at or below Level 1 in numeracy. This means that around 835,000 people have difficulty using maths in everyday life, like working out a bill or calculating percentages;
• The percentage of adults in Ireland with literacy needs has risen from 18% in 2013 to 21% now.

Commenting on the Survey, National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) Chief Executive Officer, Colleen Dube said:

“The OECD Survey of Adult Skills 2023 is like a glass half full. There are improvements in some areas but there are also declines.

“Most concerning for us is that:

• The percentage of adults in Ireland with literacy needs has risen from 18% in 2013 to 21%. This means more adults struggle with basic daily tasks than 10 years ago;
• We are losing the skills that we acquire in education. For instance, there is a decline among the skills of 55–65-year-olds since they were 44 to 54 years of age;
• Unsurprisingly, given the low turnout in the recent election, those with the lowest levels of literacy have less belief in the political system.

“NALA’s vision is that literacy is a human right. Given today is International Human Rights Day, the OECD survey is a timely reminder that everyone needs and deserves to have basic literacy, numeracy and digital skills. We look forward to further delving into the survey findings and discussing with the new government how these gaps can be addressed so that no adult in Ireland is left behind in the future.”

About the Survey of Adult Skills

This international survey was carried out in Ireland by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) during 2022 and 2023. It measures adults’ (aged 16 to 65) skills in literacy and numeracy**.

Scores are broken down into five skill levels. Level 1 is the most basic functional level, while Level 5 is the most high-performing level. Some people who take the survey score below Level 1.

In NALA we say that people who are at or below Level 1 have literacy or numeracy needs.

This is the second time that the survey has been run. The last survey results were published in 2013.

This time 160,000 people in 31 countries took part in the survey. In Ireland, 3852 adults completed the survey.

Literacy needs

• The share of adults in Ireland who score at or below Level 1 in literacy is 21%, or 1 in 5 adults. This means that around 700,000 adults in Ireland have literacy needs;
• The share of adults with literacy needs in Ireland has risen by 3 percentage points since 2013 (from 18% to 21%);
• The OECD average population share scoring at or below Level 1 is 26%, so we are better than average for literacy needs.

Numeracy needs

• The share of adults in Ireland who score at or below Level 1 in numeracy is 25%, or 1 in 4 adults. This means that around 835,000 adults in Ireland have numeracy needs;
• The share of adults with numeracy needs in Ireland has fallen slightly, by 1 percentage point, since 2013 (from 25% to 24%);
• The OECD average population share scoring at or below Level 1 is 25%, so we are around average for numeracy needs.

More information

NALA will analyse the results in detail over the coming weeks and months to work out what they might mean for adult literacy policy and provision in Ireland. We will publish our analysis on www.nala.ie.

For more information on the Survey of Adult Skills see the OECD webpages on PIAAC.

You can read the full report for Ireland on the CSO webpages on PIAAC.

Ends

For more information, media interviews or queries please contact:

Caitriona Whelan
National Adult Literacy Agency
01 4127900
cwhelan@nala.ie

*The approximate numbers of people with literacy and numeracy needs as a proportion of the population were amended on 18 December 2024. Our original numbers were based on the CSO’s 2024 population estimates, but the new numbers are based on the 2022 census and are aligned with the Adult Literacy for Life factsheet on the OECD Survey of Adult Skills 2023.

**The survey also measures adaptive problem-solving for the first time, which we don’t cover here.