Top 10 · education
Top 10 countries by adult numeracy
How well working-age adults handle numbers and mathematical ideas. OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) data, latest year 2023, covering 31 countries.
The top 10
1st of 31 · 2023
Finland294 score
- 2ndJapan291 score
- 3rdSweden285 score
- 4thNorway285 score
- 5thNetherlands284 score
- 6thEstonia281 score
- 7thBelgium279 score
- 8thDenmark279 score
- 9thSwitzerland276 score
- 10thSingapore274 score
The other end · bottom 5 of 31
Where the big countries land
- 25thUnited States249 score
- 11thGermany273 score
Common questions
Questions people ask about adult numeracy
Which country ranks highest for adult numeracy?
Finland ranks 1st of 31 countries at 294 score (2023 data). Source: OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC).
Which countries are in the top 10 for adult numeracy?
The top 10 are Finland, Japan, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Estonia, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland and Singapore — computed from OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) data, latest year 2023.
Where does the United States rank in adult numeracy?
The United States ranks 25th of 31 countries at 249 score (2023 data). Source: OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC).
What is the median adult numeracy worldwide?
Across the 31 countries covered, the median is 263 score. Values run from 294 score (Finland, ranked 1st) to 214 score (Chile, ranked 31st).
Is adult numeracy higher in Europe or the US?
The median across 23 European countries is 267 score, against 249 score in the United States — it is higher in Europe. Source: OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC).
Which country ranks lowest for adult numeracy?
Chile sits at the other end of the list: 214 score ranks 31st of 31 (2023 data). Source: OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC).
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Keep exploring
More on education
- Years in educationExpected years of schooling for a child entering school today.
- Pupil performanceStandardized test performance (PISA countries, NAEP states, linked scale).
- Adult literacyHow well working-age adults read and use written information.
- Adults with weak literacyShare of adults at PIAAC literacy Level 1 or below — they can read short, simple texts but little more.
- Adults with weak numeracyShare of adults at PIAAC numeracy Level 1 or below — they manage single-step arithmetic but little more.
- Nobel laureatesNobel laureates by place of birth, per million current residents.
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Finland leads on adult numeracy — see where it lands on every other measure, and which US state it most resembles.
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