Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in France

France: Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age was 71.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
71.9%
World rank
22nd
of 53 countries
All-time high
81.5%
in 2000
All-time low
71.9%
in 2022
Years of data
8
2000–2022

Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in France, 2000–2022

0204060802000201120222000: 81.5 %2003: 79.3 %2006: 75.6 %2009: 77.7 %2012: 78.8 %2015: 76.7 %2018: 77.5 %2022: 71.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in France is 71.9%, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.

The figure is down 8.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in France peaked at 81.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 71.9%, in 2022.

France ranks 22nd of 53 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in France, year by year

Annual values for Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in France, 2000 to 2022.
Year % Change
2000 81.5%
2003 79.3% -2.7%
2006 75.6% -4.7%
2009 77.7% +2.8%
2012 78.8% +1.5%
2015 76.7% -2.7%
2018 77.5% +1.0%
2022 71.9% -7.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 78.5% 75.6% 81.5% 4
2010s 77.7% 76.7% 78.8% 3
2020s 71.9% 71.9% 71.9% 1

Countries ranked near France

  1. 19 Austria 73.5% compare
  2. 20 Slovenia 73.4% compare
  3. 21 Norway 72.3% compare
  4. 23 Spain 71.7% compare
  5. 24 Portugal 71.4% compare
  6. 25 Hungary 70.9% compare

See the full ranking of 53 places →

More reference data data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in France?
Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in France was 71.9% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 81.5% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 71.9% in 2022.
How does France rank for share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age?
France ranks 22nd out of 53 countries with data for 2022.
Is share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in France. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-children-reaching-sufficient-reading-comprehension-by-the-end-of-lower-secondary/france/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-children-reaching-sufficient-reading-comprehension-by-the-end-of-lower-secondary/france/">Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in France</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.