How bad is illiteracy in America?

Illiteracy affects a person's ability to fully participate in and contribute to the world around them. About 18% of the US adult population is functionally illiterate.

What is the level of illiteracy in USA?

Nationwide, on average, 79% of U.S. adults are literate in 2022. 21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2022. 54% of adults have a literacy below sixth-grade level. 21% of Americans 18 and older are illiterate in 2022.

Why is American literacy so low?

The burden of poverty places significant constraints on individuals' educational opportunities. Limited access to books, educational resources, and enrichment activities can hinder literacy development, perpetuating the cycle of low literacy rates within families and communities.

Is US literacy declining?

Along with declining literacy rates, interest in reading books is also waning. About a fourth of Americans have not read a book in the past year according to Pew Research. The desire to read sophisticated texts has diminished as well.

What is the illiteracy rate in the US 2023?

The current US literacy rate is 79%. New Hampshire has the highest literacy rate of 94.2%. California has the lowest literacy rate of only 76.9%. 68% of US 4th-graders are below the optimal reading level proficiency.

Inside America’s literacy crisis and efforts to change how kids learn to read | ABCNL

Why is illiteracy so high in the US?

Contributing factors to both low literacy and criminal behavior include racial inequality, poverty, and education. These factors make individuals more vulnerable to both crime and illiteracyThe inability to read or write..

What percent of Americans can't read?

Though nationwide graduation rates have risen in recent decades, the number of adults who struggle to read remains stubbornly high: 48 million, or 23%. If there were local programs that could teach adults the reading skills they never got, those parents could help educate their kids and get better jobs, Eyster said.

Why so many American kids are struggling to read?

A combination of under-funded schools, educator shortages, inadequate teacher preparation and months of lost learning due to pandemic school closures have caused a resurgence of concern about kids' reading ability.

Are we in a literacy crisis?

There is currently a literacy crisis happening in the U.S., one that disproportionately affects students of color, and that cannot be ignored. Literacy is one of the major civil rights issues of our time, and our children's future — and our nation's democracy — depends on us addressing it now.

Why is literacy falling?

November 2, 2022. While California's literacy crisis certainly predates the pandemic, with less than half of California children reading at grade level back in 2019, the fallout of the pandemic, the devastating impact of school closures and remote learning, has sent test scores plummeting further.

How many US adults can't read?

by EMILY SCHMIDT | March 16, 2022

About 130 million adults in the U.S. have low literacy skills according to a Gallup analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Education. This means more than half of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74 (54%) read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.

What states have the worst literacy rates?

The states with the lowest literacy rates are New Mexico, California, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

What percent of China is literate?

The literacy rate reached 99.83% in 2021. Between 2015 to 2021, the literacy rate of China grew by 0.106%. On a year-on-year basis, the literacy rate increased by 0.018% in 2021.

What is Russia's literacy rate?

Literacy Rate in Russia (2010-2021, %)

The literacy rate reached 99.69% in 2021. Between 2010 to 2021, the literacy rate of Russia decreased by 0.02%. On a year-on-year basis, the literacy rate decreased slightly in 2021.

Which state has the highest level of literacy?

What is the Literacy rate of Kerala? Kerala is the most literate state in India, with the highest literacy rate of 94 percent. Which state in India has the lowest literacy rate? According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) survey, Andhra Pradesh has the lowest literacy rate at 66.4 per cent.

Is literacy getting worse?

A larger share of students are poor readers

Out of 31 countries and territories for which PIRLS data is comparable between 2016 and 2021, 22 countries (or 71%) show that in 2021 more children were below minimum reading proficiency than in 2016.

How many American kids can't read?

Biennial testing through NAEP consistently shows that two thirds of U.S. children are unable to read with proficiency. An astounding 40 percent are essentially nonreaders.

Why are there people who can't read?

Most reading disorders result from specific differences in the way the brain processes written words and text. Usually, these differences are present from a young age. But a person can develop a reading problem from an injury to the brain at any age.

Is reading losing popularity?

In fact, these days Americans are reading less than they have in over 30 years. You read that right. The Americans surveyed in Gallup's poll said they read (“either all or part of the way through”) an average of 12.6 books in 2021, down from 15.6 in 2016 and a recent high of 18.5 in 1999.

Why poor children become poor readers?

School attendance and mobility

Children from low income and low SES families have much lower average attendance rates and a higher prevalence of chronic absenteeism (usually defined as missing >10% of the school year), placing them at a higher risk for reading failure.

Why do kids not like reading anymore?

It could be a combination of watching too much television at home and doing a lot of boring worksheets in school. Once children lose interest in reading, it's hard to get them back. The motivation to read also tends to decrease as kids get older. Reading is like any other skill.

What country has the lowest literacy rate?

What percent of high school graduates are illiterate?

Top U.S. Literacy Rate Statistics

19% of high school graduates can't read. 43% of adults with low literacy live in poverty. 50% of adults with low literacy do not have a job. 85% of juvenile offenders have low literacy skills.

Do 54% of Americans read below 6th grade level?

Low literacy levels among adults in the United States are a major concern, with 54% of adults aged 16–74 years old, or about 130 million people, reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level[1][2][3][6].