The Scope of the Issue

Globally

The United Nations estimated that in 2000 there were 862 million illiterate adults in the world.

In 2000, about 70 percent of the world's illiterate adults lived in three regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, South and West Asia, and the Arab States and North Africa. East Asia and the Pacific reported an estimated total illiterate population of 185 million. The Latin America and Caribbean region has an illiterate population of 39 million.

Women account for two out of three illiterate adults. In 2000, there were 236 million more illiterate women than men. The gender gap was more pronounced in the Arab States and North Africa and in South and West Asia.

In the U.S.

In the United States, the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) report, issued in 2005, estimated that 30 million adults function at the "below basic" level of literacy skill and 11 million adults are in the "nonliterate in English" level. Adults who were born in the United States may have poor literacy skills due to undiagnosed learning disabilities, growing up in poverty, childhood trauma or illness, inconsistent attendance at school, or inadequate instruction. Many have high school diplomas. Many more are dropouts.

The NAAL evaluated the skills of adults in three areas: prose, document literacy, and quantitative literacy. The NAAL places individuals into one of five categories: nonliterate in English, below basic, basic, intermediate, and proficient. These levels cannot be equated to grade levels used for children. They represent adult knowledge and skills measured against criteria that were developed by literacy assessment experts.

Definitions

Globally

The United Nations has defined illiteracy as the "inability to read and write a simple message in any language."

In the U.S.

The most widely used definition is that offered by the U.S. Congress, in the National Literacy Act of 1991. It defined literacy as "an individual's ability to read, write, and speak in English and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential."

The U.S. Department of Education, in its 1992 and 2003 national assessments of adult literacy, defined literacy as "using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential."

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 defined literacy as "an individual's ability to read, write, speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual and in society."

The term "functional illiteracy" refers to those individuals who are not illiterate, but who lack the skills required to be successful in the family, in the workplace, and in the community.

The Impact of Literacy

Illiteracy and low literacy in adults can be linked to almost every socioeconomic problem in the United States and abroad. In the U.S., research indicates that low literate adults do poorly in the job market, lack the skills to help their children be successful in school, are more likely to suffer from poor health, and are more likely to receive public assistance. Globally, illiteracy contributes to poverty, child labor, the trafficking of women, the spread of HIV/AIDS, and human rights violations in developing countries.

Globally

• The per capita income in countries with a literacy rate less than 55 percent averages about $600.
• Teaching mothers to read can lead to a decrease in infant mortality of up to 50 percent.
• Ninety-eight percent of all non-literates live in developing countries.
• In the least developed countries, the overall illiteracy rate is 49 percent.
• Fifty-two percent of all non-literates live in India and China.
• Africa as a continent has a literacy rate of less than 60 percent.
• In Sub-Saharan Africa since 1980, primary school enrollment has declined, going from 58 percent to 50 percent.
• In all developing countries, the percentage of children aged 6-11 not attending school is 15 percent. In the least developed countries, it is 45 percent.

In the U.S.

• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, workers 18 and over with a bachelor's degree earn an average of $51,206 a year, while those with a high school diploma earn $27,915; those without a high school diploma average $18,734. Twenty-five percent of all U.S. students who do not receive a high school diploma have received government assistance.
• American business currently spends more than $60 billion each year on employee training, much of that for remedial reading, writing, and mathematics.
• Annual health care costs in the U.S. are four times higher for individuals with low literacy skills than they are for individuals with high level literacy skills.
• Women in the U.S. who have little formal education are more likely than educated women to be in abusive relationships.
• One-half of all adults in U.S. federal and state correctional institutions cannot read or write at all; 85 percent of juvenile offenders have reading problems.
• A one percent increase in high school graduation rates would save approximately $1.4 billion in costs associated with incarceration.

Fast Facts About ProLiteracy Worldwide

The Organization: ProLiteracy Worldwide was formed in 2002 through the merger of Laubach Literacy International (founded in 1955) and Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. (founded in 1962). ProLiteracy is the world's largest organization of community-based adult literacy programs.

The Mission: ProLiteracy Worldwide champions the life-changing benefits of literacy for adults and their families.

What We Do: ProLiteracy provides the training, technical assistance, materials, and other support that local literacy programs need in order to assist adults and their families to acquire or improve their literacy skills.

Outcomes: More than one million adult learners worldwide acquire or improve their literacy skills each year through the efforts of ProLiteracy and its partners and affiliates.

(Information in this section was compiled from several resources, including: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Census Bureau, National Association of Manufacturers, Alliance for Excellent Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment on Literacy Survey, UNESCO, and the World Education Organization.)