Poor literacy and numeracy skills among many adults in the Nordic Region – but we’re still better than most

These are just some of the facts presented in the Nordic PIAAC report, published on 18 May. The report is based on research conducted in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Estonia. Iceland did not participate in this study.

The literacy skills of adults in Finland is somewhat better than their counterparts in Norway, Sweden, Estonia, and Denmark.

IT skills in the four Nordic countries that took part in the study are at roughly the same level, while the level of knowledge in Estonia is considerably worse.

The key factors that influence adults’ basic skills are education, age, foreign background, and type of work. The overlap between areas of knowledge is important – weak skills in one area often also results in weak skills in the others.

PIAAC (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) is an OECD project, which has covered 24 countries to date. The international OECD report was published in October 2013 and is the most comprehensive study of adult skills ever undertaken.

The Nordic PIAAC report is the result of the efforts of a Nordic network project which has been in place since 2010. The project is financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the participating countries. The Nordic PIAAC network has established a unique database that combines national statistics with information from PIAAC. The database has been used in the preparation of the report, and the intention is that researchers other than the 13 who have been working on this should be able to access it.

On 21 and 22 May, a Nordic PIAAC conference will be held in Copenhagen to discuss the results of the report and their practical implications.  In addition, the conference will also focus on the future use of this Nordic database.

The entire report can be read here.