Italy vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age

Italy
77.9%
in 2022
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
79.7%
in 2022
Italy rank
9th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
6th

Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age over time

  • Italy
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
020406080200020112022

How they compare

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 79.7% against 77.9% in Italy, a difference of 1.8%.

Across all 8 years both countries report, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been ahead every year.

Italy ranks 9th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 6th of 53 countries.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Italy United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
2000s 75.2% 83.4% 8.2% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2010s 77.6% 82.5% 4.9% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2020s 77.9% 79.7% 1.8% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age, Italy or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 79.7% against 77.9% in Italy as of 2022.
What is the difference in share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age between Italy and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
1.8%, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
8 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2022.
How do Italy and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age?
Italy ranks 9th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 6th of 53 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Italy vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-children-reaching-sufficient-reading-comprehension-by-the-end-of-lower-secondary/italy/united-kingdom/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-children-reaching-sufficient-reading-comprehension-by-the-end-of-lower-secondary/italy/united-kingdom/">Italy vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
53 places, 379 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed

Share of children who achieve minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education. This data accounts for school completion rates to estimate skills for all children, not just those in school.