What percent of Americans can't read?

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.

What is the illiteracy rate in the US 2023?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 79% of American adults have medium to high English literacy skills. This means that 21%, or about 43 million adults, have low literacy skills, bordering on illiteracy.

Why is US literacy rate 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 percent of people can read in the world?

In the past five decades, the global literacy rate among adults has grown from 67 percent in 1976 to 87.01 percent in 2022.

What is the reading percentage in America?

Reading In The United States—Secondary Sources

According to the Pew Research Center, about 64% of American adults say they have read a book in the past 12 months. This is a similar share to the previous year, and is consistent with the findings from 2020.

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

Which country has lowest literacy rate?

Countries With Lowest Literacy Rate

Niger is the country with the lowest literacy rate, standing at a meager 19.10%. Following closely behind is Guinea with a literacy rate of 30.47%. South Sudan's literacy rate stands at 31.98%, making it the third country with the lowest literacy rate.

Which state has the lowest literacy rate?

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

What percent of the world Cannot read?

The global literacy rate currently stands at 87%, up from 12% in 1820. Most developed countries have achieved a 99% literacy rate. But as this Statista graph shows, strong regional inequalities remain.

What percentage of Americans never read a book after high school?

33% of U.S. high school graduates never read a book after high school. 80% of U.S. families have not purchased a book this year. 50% of books started are never read to completion.

What percentage of students Cannot read?

Approximately 40% of students across the nation cannot read at a basic level. Almost half the students living in urban areas cannot read at a basic level. Almost 70% of low-income fourth-grade students cannot read at a basic level.

How many US adults can't read?

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.

Is America becoming less literate?

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.

Which US state has the highest literacy rate?

New Hampshire has the highest literacy rate in the US, with a rate of 88.5%. This means that nearly 90% of the population over age 25 can read and write at least a basic level.

Why is US illiteracy 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.

What is the average American reading level?

The average American reads at the 7th- to 8th-grade level, according to The Literacy Project. Medical information for the public should be written at no higher than an eighth-grade reading level, according to the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What percent of high school graduates are illiterate?

According to a recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, 32 million of American adults are illiterate, 21 percent read below a 5th grade level, and 19 percent of high school graduates are functionally illiterate, which means they can't read well enough to manage daily living and perform tasks required ...

What percent of American children 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.

How many American kids can't read?

Studies show that if kids don't learn how to read proficiently by third grade, they'll likely fall hopelessly behind, with real-life consequences and real-life failures. These days, about one-third of American kids cannot read at grade level, but the failure is not theirs.

What age group reads the most?

Non-Hispanic Whites (76%) outpace non-Hispanic Blacks (69%) and Hispanics (58%) in book-reading incidence, while there's a clear age trend in play, with Millennials (18-28) being the most likely to read books (80%) and Boomers (65+) the least likely (67%).

What percent of Americans are functionally illiterate?

In 2019, the National Center for Educational Statistics reported that 4.1% of US adults had literacy abilities below level 1, defined as "unable to successfully determine the meaning of sentences, read relatively short texts to locate a single piece of information, or complete simple forms", and could be classified as ...

Which state has highest female literacy rate?

Kerala has the highest female literacy rate at 95.2 per cent.

What cities have the lowest literacy rate?

Why is India's literacy rate low?

Literacy rate is so low in India because of a complex web of social and economic divides in the country. Economic disparities, gender discrimination, caste discrimination, and technological barriers lead to illiteracy in India.