Adult Skills in Literacy and Math Decline Across OECD, France Below Average

A new OECD study reveals stagnation or decline in adult competencies with France lagging behind in key areas like literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving.

The OECD's 2023 survey of 160,000 adults across 31 countries shows a decline or stagnation in basic skills such as literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving in most nations studied.
France remains below the OECD average in all three areas, with 28% of French adults scoring at a low level in literacy, up from 22% in 2012.
While Finland and Japan lead in literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving, France's performance is comparable to countries like Hungary and Croatia in numeracy and the United States in problem-solving.
The study highlights growing inequalities in France, with lower-skilled individuals and those with limited access to digital tools showing the sharpest declines in performance.
Broader implications include challenges for employment, civic engagement, and democracy, as many low-skilled adults struggle to access or process complex digital information.