Four in 10 Portuguese adults aged 25 to 64 can only understand short, simple texts, according to a worrying report released this Tuesday, which places Portugal near the bottom of a literacy proficiency ranking.
The ‘Education at a Glance 2025’ report, published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), shows that 46% of Portuguese adults have major difficulty interpreting written information and can only grasp minimal, straightforward texts. This is far above the OECD average of 27%, with only Chile scoring worse at 57%.
The study, part of the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), ranks literacy across five levels: from basic ability to read short texts (level 1) to synthesising and critically evaluating complex information (level 5). Nearly half of the Portuguese evaluated scored at level 1, and only 3% of reached the highest levels, far below the OECD average of 12%.
The findings also reveal a strong link between education and literacy. Adults with higher education scored on average 36 points higher than those with secondary education and nearly 70 points higher than those without a 12th-grade qualification. Levels of literacy proficiency are also related to participation in training, with adults with better skills being more likely to participate in education or training.
According to the survey, 80% of adults at levels 4 or 5 had taken part in courses or training in 2023, compared with just 22% of those at level 1 or below.
