In Italy, over one in three adults is unable to understand and analyze complex texts. This is one of the results of the new survey on adult skills carried out as part of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) of the OECD, which measures the skills of adults between 16 and 65 years old in 31 countries on a scale from 0 to 5. In 2012, however, only 28% showed a level of literacy (i.e. understanding of written texts) equal to or lower than 1 (low performer): a worsening of 7 percentage points in ten years. In fact, reaching level 1 at most means being able to understand only very short and simple texts, with information that does not distract attention. Therefore, 35% in 2023 means that more than a third of the Italian adult population, despite being able to read and write, struggles to understand a contract, a bank statement or to interpret a graph in a newspaper. In other words, he can be classified as “functionally illiterate”.
Italy is among the last OECD countries for functional literacy
The average share of functional illiterates in OECD countries is 26%: approximately 1 in 4 adults. This means that the low level of functional literacy is an international problem but also that in Italy the phenomenon is significantly more widespread. With 35%, Italy is well below the OECD average and ranks at the bottom of the ranking. Only Chile, Lithuania, Poland and Portugal achieved a worse result. While Israel, Latvia, Spain and Hungary are at levels comparable to the Italian one.
At the other extreme, only 5% of Italians have achieved a high score of skills in understanding written texts (the so-called high performers), compared to an OECD average of 12%: less than half. In practice, only 1 in 20 adults is able to understand and evaluate complex texts and interpret complex meanings.
North and South: an Italy also divided in the understanding of the texts
However, when interpreting the Italian data, it is important to take into account that the territorial differences are enormous. In the North-East the share of functional illiterates (21%) is lower than the OECD average, while in all the other macro-areas the percentages are higher (28% in the Center and 30% in the North-West).
In the southern regions the share increases further until it exceeds half of the adult population (49% in the South and 53% in the Islands) and thus reaching shares comparable to those of Chile, which closes the OECD ranking. It is therefore above all the data from the South that drives our country towards the lower part of the ranking.
Who is most at risk of being functionally illiterate? And what does it entail?
The results of the Survey show a strong link between educational qualifications and skills: the share of functional illiterates is much lower among graduates between 25 and 65 years old compared to those who only have a diploma or lower educational qualification. But the difference is not only educational but also occupational and training.
Only 14% of adults with skills at level 1 or lower in literacy participated in training or refresher courses in the last year, compared to 62% of adults with high skills (i.e. with a literacy level of 4 or higher). A vicious circle is thus created: those with fewer skills participate in less training, and fall behind.
The gap is also reflected in the world of work. Between 25 and 65 years of age, the average activity rate, i.e. the share of people aged 25-65 who are employed or looking for work, is 71%, but drops to 60% for those who are functionally illiterate. This difference tells us that those who struggle to understand complex texts also have fewer opportunities to find and keep a job.
There is also a close relationship with age: young people between 16 and 24 show the highest skills, while the 55-65 age group is the most in difficulty. But even among young Italians, scores remain lower than the OECD average, a sign that the problem starts from the education system and continues into adult life.
