Overview
- Recent estimates cite about 10.6 million adults with low literacy in Germany, with studies placing the range between roughly 6.2 and 10.6 million, and about a quarter of primary school leavers struggling to read.
- A new OECD snapshot finds 23% of German adults at or below the lowest reading level and only 2% at the highest, highlighting one of the widest skill gaps across member countries.
- Hamburg reports at least 150,000 affected residents as Education Senator Ksenija Bekeris presses for stronger federal and state action and continuation of the national program.
- Local outreach is ramping up with Alfa‑Mobil stops, including a Cologne event on September 11, expanded VHS courses and exhibitions, and an expert conference in Hamburg.
- Researchers emphasize socioeconomic disadvantage over migration as the key risk factor and warn of harms to jobs, health navigation and civic trust, with increased susceptibility to misinformation.