Italy vs United States of America: Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age

Italy
77.9%
in 2022
United States of America
79.0%
in 2022
Italy rank
9th
United States of America rank
7th

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

  • Italy
  • United States of America
020406080200020112022

How they compare

United States of America currently reports 79.0% against 77.9% in Italy, a difference of 1.1%.

Across all 7 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.

Italy ranks 9th and United States of America ranks 7th of 53 countries.

United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Italy United States of America Difference Ahead
2000s 76.4% 79.4% 3.0% United States of America
2010s 77.6% 80.6% 3.0% United States of America
2020s 77.9% 79.0% 1.1% United States of America

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 States of America?
United States of America, at 79.0% 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 States of America?
1.1%, with United States of America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and United States of America?
7 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2022.
How do Italy and United States of America rank globally for share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age?
Italy ranks 9th and United States of America ranks 7th 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 States of America: 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-states/

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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.