Navigating Life with Low Literacy and Numeracy

One in three adults across OECD economies lack the foundational skills to participate effectively in the labour market and society. This share has grown over the past decade, making low foundational skills one of the most persistent structural challenges facing advanced economies. Drawing on the 2023 Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), this report examines the scale, nature and consequences of low foundational skills in OECD countries and beyond. It analyses how the depth of skill deficits varies across countries and domains; it pinpoints the strongest predictors of low skills and uncovers distinct profiles among low-skilled populations; it highlights how these findings can inform effective policy responses. The report underscores that adults with low foundational skills are not a homogeneous group: deficits differ in severity, are distributed differently across literacy and numeracy, and reflect varying roles of migration and language background. Adults with low foundational skills face substantial and compounding disadvantages in employment, earnings, health and civic participation. Yet those who would benefit most from adult learning are consistently the least likely to engage in upskilling activities. Closing this gap requires active outreach through trusted intermediaries, provision that is contextualised and sufficiently intensive, and a sustained commitment to reaching adults whom adult learning systems have repeatedly failed to serve.