How countries across the world rank in adult skills: Latest OECD ranking

The 2023 OECD Survey of Adult Skills, released in December 2024, highlights global workforce capabilities in literacy, numeracy, and adaptive problem-solving—key skills for personal growth, economic success, and societal contribution.

The 2023 Survey of Adult Skills, conducted by the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), provides a comprehensive overview of global workforce capabilities. The survey assesses literacy, numeracy, and adaptive problem-solving—essential skills for personal development, economic success, and societal engagement. 

Mastery of these skills empowers adults to: 

• Achieve personal goals, enhance knowledge, and actively contribute to society. 
• Address mathematical challenges in everyday life. 
• Apply cognitive and metacognitive processes to solve complex problems across various contexts. 

Leading the global rankings are Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, where significant portions of the population demonstrate advanced proficiency in all domains. However, the survey also exposed critical challenges: on average, 18% of adults across OECD countries lack basic proficiency in literacy, numeracy, or problem-solving, highlighting the urgent need for targeted upskilling initiatives. 

Trends over the past decade 

While literacy proficiency improved in Denmark and Finland, most countries experienced stagnation or declines. Numeracy outcomes were slightly more positive, with eight countries, including Finland and Singapore, reporting gains. However, skill declines were common across various age groups, even in nations with widespread educational expansion. 

Alarmingly, proficiency among tertiary-educated graduates often stagnated or decreased, suggesting that traditional education systems are not keeping up with evolving demands. These trends have disproportionately affected less-educated populations, widening the skills gap between highly and low-educated adults. 

The findings underscore an urgent need for education and training systems to embrace lifelong and flexible learning models. By adapting to the dynamic needs of the workforce, these systems can help bridge skills gaps and ensure readiness for the challenges of tomorrow. 

Here is how Singapore fared in the rankings in terms of literacy, numeracy and adaptive problem solving: 

Mean performance  

Adults aged 16-65 in Singapore demonstrated mixed results in literacy, numeracy, and adaptive problem-solving: 

• Literacy: Average score of 255 (below the OECD average). 

• Numeracy: Average score of 274 (above the OECD average). 

• Adaptive problem solving: Average score of 252 (close to the OECD average). 

Literacy proficiency 

• Low proficiency: 30% of adults (OECD average: 26%) scored at Level one or below. 

1. Abilities: Can understand short, simple texts, find specific information, or follow clear links. 
2. Challenges: Struggle with anything beyond basic comprehension. 

• High proficiency: 11% of adults (OECD average: 12%) scored at Levels four or five. 

1. Abilities: Can analyse complex, multi-page texts, uncover hidden meanings, and apply prior knowledge effectively. 

Numeracy proficiency 

• Low proficiency: 22% of adults (OECD average: 25%) scored at or below Level one. 

• Abilities: Can handle basic math with whole numbers or money and interpret simple charts. 

• Challenges: Struggle with multi-step problems, such as solving proportions. 

• High proficiency: 22% of adults (OECD average: 14%) scored at Levels four or five. 

• Abilities: Can analyse complex graphs, calculate rates and ratios, and critically evaluate statistics. 

Adaptive problem-solving proficiency 

• Low proficiency: 29% of adults (same as OECD average) scored at or below Level one. 

1. Abilities: Can solve simple, one-step problems with clear information. 
2. Challenges: Struggle with multi-variable or multi-step problems. 

• High proficiency: 6% of adults (OECD average: 5%) scored at Level four. 

1. Abilities: Can solve complex problems and adapt to unexpected changes effectively. 

When considering all three domains together, 17% of Singaporean adults (OECD average: 18%) scored at the lowest proficiency levels. 

Proficiency in literacy, numeracy, and adaptive problem solving among adults 

Older adults (55-65 Years) 

Adults aged 55-65 scored significantly lower than their younger counterparts (25-34 years) across all domains: 

• Literacy: Older adults scored 61 points lower than 25-34-year-olds, compared to the OECD average gap of 30 points. 

These gaps may stem from both ageing-related cognitive effects and generational differences in the quality and quantity of education and training opportunities. 

Young adults (16-24 Years) 

Young adults, many of whom are still in school or have recently graduated, outperformed the OECD average across all domains: 

• Literacy: Average score of 285 (above the OECD average). 

• Numeracy: Average score of 298 (above the OECD average). 

• Adaptive problem solving: Average score of 276 (above the OECD average). 

These results complement school-based assessments, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of Singapore’s education system in preparing young adults for real-world challenges. 

Effect of ageing on literacy proficiency in Singapore  

Comparing how adults perform across different survey cycles—based on their birth years and age at the time—offers valuable insights into how skills evolve with age. 

Literacy trends 

In most countries, significant declines in literacy proficiency are observed after age 35, while younger adults generally maintain their skills. In Singapore, this trend is evident: 

• Young adults (Born 1989-1996): Literacy scores dropped by nine points between 2014-15 (ages 19-26) and 2022-23 (ages 27-34). 

• Older adults (Born 1957-1967): Literacy scores declined by 16 points from 2014-15 (ages 47-57) to 2022-23 (ages 55-65). 

Numeracy trends 

Interestingly, numeracy skills in Singapore did not show similar age-related declines, highlighting a potential difference in how these skills are retained or applied over time. 

These findings emphasise the importance of tailored learning interventions and skill maintenance programmes to address age-related declines, particularly in literacy. 

READ MORE: Ranking: Top 20 universities in Asia 2025

Infographic / Survey of Adults Skills 2023: Singapore

Lead image / Survey of Adult Skills