Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading, both sexes (%) by country
Percentage of children at the end of lower secondary education reaching at least a minimum proficiency level in reading. A minimum proficiency level (MPL) is the benchmark of basic knowledge in a domain (mathematics, reading, etc.) measured through learning assessments. The indicator is calculated as the number of...
What the numbers show
Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading, both sexes (%) is currently reported for 53 countries. The highest value is 89.2% in Macao; the lowest is 28.4% in Tunisia.
The median across all reporting countries is 76.7%, and the mean is 71.7%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3.
Over the past decade 15 countries rose and 38 fell. The largest increase was in Qatar (up 34.4%), and the largest decrease in Indonesia (down 35.4%).
Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macao | 89.2% | 2018 | up 4.8% | flat |
| 2 | Estonia | 88.9% | 2018 | up 2.6% | flat |
| 3 | Ireland | 88.2% | 2018 | up 6.6% | flat |
| 4 | Liechtenstein | 87.6% | 2012 | down 2.2% | rising |
| 5 | Hong Kong | 87.4% | 2018 | down 4.7% | flat |
| 6 | Finland | 86.5% | 2018 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 7 | Canada | 86.2% | 2018 | down 3.9% | flat |
| 8 | Poland | 85.3% | 2018 | up 0.4% | rising |
| 9 | Republic of Korea | 84.9% | 2018 | down 9.9% | falling |
| 10 | Denmark | 84.0% | 2018 | down 0.9% | flat |
| 11 | Spain | 83.8% | 2015 | up 12.7% | flat |
| 12 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 82.7% | 2018 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 13 | Slovenia | 82.1% | 2018 | up 4.2% | flat |
| 14 | Sweden | 81.6% | 2018 | down 1.2% | falling |
| 15 | New Zealand | 81.0% | 2018 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 16 | United States | 80.7% | 2018 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 17 | Norway | 80.7% | 2018 | down 5.1% | flat |
| 18 | Australia | 80.4% | 2018 | down 6.3% | falling |
| 19 | Portugal | 79.8% | 2018 | down 3.2% | rising |
| 20 | Germany | 79.3% | 2018 | down 2.7% | rising |
| 21 | Czechia | 79.3% | 2018 | up 3.0% | flat |
| 22 | France | 79.1% | 2018 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 23 | Belgium | 78.7% | 2018 | down 4.3% | flat |
| 24 | Croatia | 78.4% | 2018 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 25 | Russian Federation | 77.9% | 2018 | up 7.3% | rising |
| 26 | Latvia | 77.6% | 2018 | down 5.9% | rising |
| 27 | Italy | 76.7% | 2018 | down 2.8% | flat |
| 28 | Austria | 76.4% | 2018 | up 5.5% | falling |
| 29 | Switzerland | 76.4% | 2018 | down 8.2% | flat |
| 30 | Netherlands | 75.9% | 2018 | down 11.4% | falling |
| 31 | Lithuania | 75.6% | 2018 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 32 | Hungary | 74.7% | 2018 | down 9.4% | falling |
| 33 | Türkiye | 73.9% | 2018 | down 2.2% | rising |
| 34 | Iceland | 73.6% | 2018 | down 11.5% | falling |
| 35 | Luxembourg | 70.7% | 2018 | down 4.4% | flat |
| 36 | Greece | 69.5% | 2018 | down 11.7% | falling |
| 37 | Israel | 68.9% | 2018 | down 6.1% | rising |
| 38 | Slovakia | 68.6% | 2018 | down 11.8% | falling |
| 39 | Chile | 68.3% | 2018 | down 1.7% | rising |
| 40 | Serbia | 62.3% | 2018 | down 7.3% | rising |
| 41 | Romania | 59.2% | 2018 | down 0.7% | rising |
| 42 | Jordan | 58.8% | 2018 | up 13.1% | rising |
| 43 | Uruguay | 58.1% | 2018 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 44 | Montenegro | 55.6% | 2018 | up 10.2% | rising |
| 45 | Mexico | 55.3% | 2018 | down 7.7% | rising |
| 46 | Bulgaria | 52.9% | 2018 | down 10.4% | flat |
| 47 | Colombia | 50.1% | 2018 | down 5.3% | rising |
| 48 | Brazil | 50.0% | 2018 | down 0.8% | rising |
| 49 | Qatar | 49.1% | 2018 | up 34.4% | rising |
| 50 | Argentina | 47.9% | 2018 | down 1.1% | falling |
| 51 | Thailand | 40.5% | 2018 | down 29.2% | falling |
| 52 | Indonesia | 30.1% | 2018 | down 35.4% | rising |
| 53 | Tunisia | 28.4% | 2015 | down 30.7% | falling |
About this data
Percentage of children at the end of lower secondary education reaching at least a minimum proficiency level in reading. A minimum proficiency level (MPL) is the benchmark of basic knowledge in a domain (mathematics, reading, etc.) measured through learning assessments. The indicator is calculated as the number of children and/or young people at the relevant stage of education n in a given year t achieving or exceeding the pre-defined proficiency level in a given subject s, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children and/or young people at stage of education n, in year t, in any proficiency level in subject s. The higher the value of the indicator, the higher the proportion of children or young adults who have acquired the minimum level of meaningful competencies. Data are calculated by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics from sources that include the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Programme for International Student Assessment for Development (PISA-D), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), El Laboratorio Latino americano de Evaluación de la Calidad de la Educación (LLECE), Programme d’analyse des systèmes éducatifs de la confemen (PASEC), Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality (SACMEQ), Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA), national assessments data collected through the Catalogue of Learning Assessments (CLA) and/or available in national reports, and population-based assessments (Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA), UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), People’s Action for Learning (PAL) NETWORK: e.g. Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), UWEZO, etc.)). For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute for Statistics: http://uis.unesco.org/