How literate are Canadians?
- 58 of 100 adults in Canada aged 16 to 65 have the basic reading skills they need
for most everyday tasks.
- The average score for Canadian adults in prose literacy and document literacy is
near the bottom of Level 3.
- That means that about two in every five Canadian adults– 9 million people –can’t read well
enough to do everyday things. If we add in the people who are older than 65, that number
goes up to 12 million Canadians.
- The average for numeracy and problem solving is just below Level 3. Only 45 of 100 adults
in Canada aged 16 to 65 can do everyday arithmetic and understand the numbers in printed
materials.
Some people who have low literacy skills come from vulnerable groups, but that isn’t the whole
story. This problem affects many people in the general adult population too.
But people who come into contact with police, as suspects, victims, or witnesses, tend to have lower literacy skills. And neighbourhoods with low literacy levels tend to have higher crime rates.
These basic facts show the challenge to improve literacy performance among Canadians is far
from over and affects law enforcement.