How many people in the US have poor literacy?

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.

How many Americans have low literacy?

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 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.

What percentage of the US population has low health literacy?

Low health literacy is very common. Approximately 36% of adult Americans have only basic or below basic health literacy skills.

Why is the US illiteracy rate so high?

Hispanics, older people, and incarcerated people are more likely to be low literate than other US adults. Major factors influencing literacy development include education, socioeconomic status, learning English as a second language, learning disabilities, and crime.

Why 36 million American adults can't read enough to work — and how to help them

Why is USA 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.

What is average health literacy in the US?

Most of the participants (53%) had an intermediate level of health literacy. A total of 22% had basic health literacy and 14% had below basic health literacy. Twelve percent scored in the proficient range. Overall, 36% of the adult participants had basic or below basic health literacy skills.

What are the red flags for low health literacy?

Red Flags for Low Literacy. Frequently missed appointments. Incomplete registration forms. Non-compliance with medication.

What percentage of adults are literate in the US?

What does adult literacy look like in your state? 130 million Americans—54% of adults between the ages of 16 and 74 years old—lack proficiency in literacy, essentially reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.

Which state has lowest literacy rate?

Bihar is the least literate state in India with a literacy rate of 63.82%.

Do 54% of adults have a literacy below 6th grade level?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 54% of U.S. adults 16-74 years old - about 130 million people - lack proficiency in literacy, reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.

Which state has highest illiteracy rate?

Bihar is the least literate state in India, with a literacy of 63.82%.

Is there a literacy crisis in the US?

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.

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.

What is poor literacy?

Low literacy means 'not good at reading'

Literacy is defined by UNESCO as being based on life skills: Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts.

Which 3 populations are most at risk of having low health literacy?

On average, older adults aged 65 or older, certain minority groups, low-income individuals, and individuals with lower educational achievement have lower health literacy scores.

Which population is most likely to experience low health literacy?

Low health literacy is associated with patients who are older, have limited education, lower income, chronic conditions, and those who are non-native English speakers. Approximately 80 million adults in the United States are estimated to have limited or low health literacy.

Who is at risk population for low health literacy?

Inadequate health literacy is more prevalent among vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, minorities, persons with lower education, and persons with chronic disease (DeWalt et al.).

What age group has the lowest health literacy?

The Elderly Have Lower Health Literacy

Adults 65 or older were more likely to have below basic or basic health literacy skills than those under 65.

What is the reading percentage in America?

Just over half of all Americans said they read at least one book in 2023. Most of them read just a few books this year: 82% of Americans read 10 or fewer books. Book-reading is strongly associated with college education.

What are the three 3 levels of health literacy?

According to Nutbeam, health literacy contains three different levels, progressing from basic skills in reading and writing (functional health literacy), to the ability to derive meaning from different forms of communication and apply new information to changing situations (interactive health literacy) and to more ...

What country is #1 in education?

Countries with the Best Education

Iceland has the best rated education in the world with an index score of 0.938. Following close behind is Germany, the second best education ranking with a score of 0.917. New Zealand is just a few percentage points behind with a score of 0.914, making it the 3rd best educated country.

What US city has the highest literacy rate?

For the fourth straight year, Washington, D.C. is the most literate city in the United States, according to a recent study on literacy.

What is Russia's literacy rate?

Literacy Rate in Russia Overview

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.