TABLE 4 (concluded)

Inequality in the distribution of literacy (90th percentile/10th percentile) within countries, prose, document and quantitative scales, population aged 16-25, 1992-1998

  10th percentile 90th percentile Literacy inequality
C. Quantitative      
United Kingdom 178.5 338.4 1.9
Poland 167.5 317.0 1.9
Chile 160.7 291.2 1.8
New Zealand 202.1 331.4 1.6
United States1 207.7 339.7 1.6
Average 207.3 338.4 1.6
Ireland 205.9 336.1 1.6
Hungary 214.7 350.5 1.6
Slovenia 203.6 328.7 1.6
Italy 206.7 327.7 1.6
Australia 219.7 335.8 1.5
Portugal 207.5 315.2 1.5
Canada 226.9 340.1 1.5
Swden 250.3 365.8 1.5
Czech Republic 246.7 354.9 1.4
Belgium (Flanders) 247.4 355.2 1.4
Netherlands 239.7 343.2 1.4
Norway 243.7 348.7 1.4
Germany 243.5 348.1 1.4
Sweden 241.1 344.0 1.4
Denmark 252.3 348.3 1.4
Finland 250.4 344.3 1.4

COUNTRIES ARE RANKED BY LITERACY INEQUALITY.

1. Values for the United States youth population are derived from the US National Adult Literacy Survey (1992) because a sampling anomaly involving college students limits the comparability of the IALS data for this cohort.

Source: International Adult Literacy Survey, 1994-1998; US National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992.