Table B.1.2
Literacy — Comparative distributions of proficiency levels of population aged 16 to 65, countries, provinces and territories, 2012
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| Region | Below level 1 | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 or 5 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| percent | standard error | percent | standard error | percent | standard error | percent | standard error | percent | standard error | |
| Countries | ||||||||||
| OECD average | 3.3 | (0.1) | 12.1 | (0.1) | 33.6 | (0.2) | 38.9 | (0.2) | 12.1 | (0.1) |
| Australia | 3.2 | (0.3) | 9.6 | (0.6) | 29.7 | (0.7) | 40.1 | (0.9) | 17.3 | (0.8) |
| Austria | 2.5 | (0.3) | 13.1 | (0.7) | 37.9 | (0.9) | 38.0 | (0.9) | 8.6 | (0.5) |
| Canada | 3.8 | (0.2) | 12.7 | (0.5) | 32.0 | (0.7) | 37.6 | (0.7) | 13.9 | (0.5) |
| Cyprus | 1.9 | (0.3) | 12.5 | (0.6) | 40.1 | (1.1) | 39.0 | (1.1) | 6.5 | (0.5) |
| Czech Republic | 1.5 | (0.3) | 10.3 | (0.7) | 37.7 | (1.6) | 41.7 | (1.4) | 8.7 | (0.8) |
| Denmark | 3.8 | (0.3) | 11.9 | (0.6) | 34.1 | (0.9) | 40.1 | (0.8) | 10.0 | (0.5) |
| England/N. Ireland (UK) | 3.3 | (0.4) | 13.3 | (0.7) | 33.7 | (1.0) | 36.4 | (1.0) | 13.3 | (0.7) |
| Estonia | 2.0 | (0.2) | 11.0 | (0.5) | 34.4 | (0.7) | 40.8 | (0.9) | 11.8 | (0.5) |
| Finland | 2.7 | (0.2) | 8.0 | (0.5) | 26.5 | (0.9) | 40.7 | (0.8) | 22.2 | (0.6) |
| Flanders (Belgium) | 2.9 | (0.3) | 11.9 | (0.6) | 31.2 | (0.8) | 40.9 | (1.0) | 13.1 | (0.6) |
| Germany | 3.3 | (0.4) | 14.5 | (0.7) | 34.4 | (1.0) | 37.0 | (1.0) | 10.8 | (0.6) |
| Ireland | 4.3 | (0.4) | 13.2 | (0.8) | 37.7 | (0.9) | 36.2 | (0.9) | 8.5 | (0.5) |
| Italy | 5.6 | (0.6) | 22.3 | (1.0) | 42.3 | (1.0) | 26.5 | (1.0) | 3.3 | (0.4) |
| Japan | 0.6 | (0.2) | 4.4 | (0.4) | 23.1 | (0.8) | 49.2 | (1.0) | 22.8 | (0.7) |
| Korea | 2.2 | (0.2) | 10.7 | (0.5) | 37.1 | (0.9) | 41.8 | (0.9) | 8.1 | (0.5) |
| Netherlands | 2.6 | (0.3) | 9.3 | (0.5) | 27.0 | (0.7) | 42.4 | (0.8) | 18.6 | (0.7) |
| Norway | 3.1 | (0.3) | 9.5 | (0.6) | 30.9 | (0.8) | 42.6 | (0.9) | 14.0 | (0.6) |
| Poland | 3.9 | (0.3) | 14.8 | (0.6) | 36.5 | (0.9) | 35.0 | (0.9) | 9.7 | (0.5) |
| Slovak Republic | 1.9 | (0.2) | 9.8 | (0.5) | 36.3 | (1.0) | 44.5 | (0.9) | 7.5 | (0.5) |
| Spain | 7.3 | (0.5) | 20.4 | (0.9) | 39.4 | (0.7) | 28.0 | (0.7) | 4.8 | (0.4) |
| Sweden | 3.7 | (0.3) | 9.6 | (0.6) | 29.1 | (1.0) | 41.6 | (0.9) | 16.1 | (0.6) |
| United States | 4.1 | (0.5) | 14.2 | (0.7) | 34.0 | (1.2) | 35.7 | (1.0) | 12.0 | (0.7) |
| Provinces and territories | ||||||||||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 3.4 | (0.5) | 17.2 | (1.3) | 36.2 | (1.8) | 33.6 | (1.5) | 9.6 | (1.0) |
| Prince Edward Island | 3.0 | (0.7) | 10.6 | (1.7) | 31.7 | (2.3) | 40.8 | (2.2) | 13.9 | (2.3) |
| Nova Scotia | 2.3 | (0.5) | 13.6 | (1.1) | 34.4 | (1.9) | 36.0 | (1.6) | 13.7 | (1.5) |
| New Brunswick | 3.5 | (0.7) | 15.0 | (1.4) | 34.9 | (1.5) | 36.2 | (1.4) | 10.3 | (1.0) |
| Quebec | 4.1 | (0.3) | 14.9 | (0.7) | 34.3 | (0.8) | 35.5 | (0.8) | 11.3 | (0.5) |
| Ontario | 3.9 | (0.4) | 11.1 | (0.9) | 31.8 | (1.4) | 38.3 | (1.3) | 14.9 | (0.9) |
| Manitoba | 4.2 | (0.9) | 11.8 | (1.3) | 32.3 | (2.2) | 37.6 | (2.1) | 14.1 | (1.7) |
| Saskatchewan | 3.4 | (0.7) | 13.9 | (1.4) | 32.6 | (2.1) | 38.9 | (1.9) | 11.2 | (1.5) |
| Alberta | 2.8 | (0.7) | 12.4 | (1.4) | 29.6 | (2.0) | 39.3 | (2.3) | 15.8 | (1.3) |
| British Columbia | 4.4 | (0.8) | 12.4 | (1.2) | 29.1 | (1.7) | 38.7 | (1.8) | 15.4 | (1.4) |
| Yukon | 4.3 | (3.0) | 12.2 | (4.9) | 27.9 | (6.0) | 39.5 | (7.6) | 16.1 | (5.7) |
| Northwest Territories | 9.0 | (2.4) | 22.5 | (2.9) | 32.3 | (2.5) | 26.2 | (2.5) | 10.0 | (2.0) |
| Nunavut | 24.1 | (3.0) | 31.6 | (2.4) | 27.5 | (1.9) | 13.5 | (1.8) | 3.4 | (0.8) |
| Source: The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2012. | ||||||||||
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