Top 10 · education
Top 10 countries with the fewest adults with weak numeracy
Share of adults at PIAAC numeracy Level 1 or below — they manage single-step arithmetic but little more. OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) data, latest year 2023, covering 31 countries.
The top 10
1st of 31 · 2023
Japan9.9 % of adults
- 2ndFinland12.2 % of adults
- 3rdSweden12.2 % of adults
- 4thNorway13.5 % of adults
- 5thNetherlands15.5 % of adults
- 6thEstonia15.9 % of adults
- 7thDenmark16.6 % of adults
- 8thBelgium17.7 % of adults
- 9thSwitzerland18.9 % of adults
- 10thCanada20.1 % of adults
The other end · bottom 5 of 31
- 27thUnited States34.2 % of adults
- 28thItaly35.3 % of adults
- 29thPoland38 % of adults
- 30thPortugal39.8 % of adults
- 31stChile55.6 % of adults
Where the big countries land
- 11thGermany20.3 % of adults
Common questions
Questions people ask about adults with weak numeracy
Which country has the fewest adults with weak numeracy?
Japan ranks 1st of 31 countries at 9.9 % of adults (2023 data). Source: OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC).
Which countries are in the top 10 for adults with weak numeracy?
The top 10 are Japan, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada — computed from OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) data, latest year 2023.
Where does the United States rank in adults with weak numeracy?
The United States ranks 27th of 31 countries at 34.2 % of adults (2023 data). Source: OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC).
What is the median adults with weak numeracy worldwide?
Across the 31 countries covered, the median is 22.6 % of adults. Values run from 9.9 % of adults (Japan, ranked 1st) to 55.6 % of adults (Chile, ranked 31st).
Is adults with weak numeracy higher in Europe or the US?
The median across 23 European countries is 21.8 % of adults, against 34.2 % of adults in the United States — it is higher in the US. Source: OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC).
Which country has the highest adults with weak numeracy?
Chile sits at the other end of the list: 55.6 % of adults ranks 31st of 31 (2023 data). Source: OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC).
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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.
- Adult numeracyHow well working-age adults handle numbers and mathematical ideas.
- Adults with weak literacyShare of adults at PIAAC literacy Level 1 or below — they can read short, simple texts but little more.
- Nobel laureatesNobel laureates by place of birth, per million current residents.
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Japan leads on adults with weak numeracy — see where it lands on every other measure, and which US state it most resembles.
All 68 measures →Every country ranked →Every US state →All the Top 10s →The overall board →How we read the data →